


Lessons Learned in Life and Love

by Itsbadgerbadgermushroom



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Canon Related, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2020-07-11 12:08:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 35,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19927834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itsbadgerbadgermushroom/pseuds/Itsbadgerbadgermushroom
Summary: Cross Posted from Tumbr.Multi-chapter fic





	1. Chapter 1

“One of the central themes in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is the juxtaposition of love and war. When there is bloodshed everywhere and people are faced with annihilation, love blossoms in the unlikeliest of places, even though Pelagia resists Corelli’s advances in the beginning, she is drawn to his gentle nature and his virtuosity on the mandolin - characteristics that seem so far removed from his position as a soldier. Can anyone else think of any other themes that run throughout the book?”

“Destruction?”

“Good! Very well done, Ophelia. Could you maybe elaborate for me?”

“Well… it’s bad enough that the town is caught up in the civil war but there’s an earthquake too which makes things worse.”

“Excellent! Good job!”

The sound of the school bell ringing signalled the end of the lesson - and the end of the school day - to Nell.

“Okay, everyone. Great lesson today. We’ll pick this up next time - remember that your Shakespeare paper is due in in two weeks. If anyone needs any extra help or support my door is always open and I’ll always be around during break and lunch.”

Nell maintained her perched position at the edge of her desk and took a sip of her, now cold, coffee as she watched her students filter out of the classroom.

“Miss Astrum?”

Nell turned her head towards the door and the source of the voice.

“Ah, Altea. Good to see you, what can I do for you today?”

“I’ve come to return the book I borrowed from you last week.”

A spark of a smile appeared on Nell’s face and spread across the width of it like wildfire as she took the book from her student’s hands.

“So soon?”

“I couldn’t put it down, Miss!”

“Well that is music to my ears, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Of Mice and Men is up there as being one of my favourites.”

“I think it might be mine too… Thank you again, Miss Astrum.”

Nell offered the teen a warm smile as she replied. “Anytime, feel free to come and borrow more books. There are plenty of gems out there just waiting to be discovered.”

The teen waved as she left the classroom; instinctively Nell raised her hand in response before running it through her long hair once they had disappeared from view. She got down from her desk and began sorting through her in-tray.

‘Plenty of papers turned in early, which means plenty of marking for me - should keep me out of trouble.’

She placed the papers into their designated marking folder and stored it away in her satchel, making a mental note to stop off on her way home and pick up a bottle of her favourite red wine. After what felt like a long week of teaching, Nell was ready to enjoy a glass of liquid relaxation and ‘maybe a pizza?’ She quickly took inventory of her fridge contents before deciding.

‘Definitely pizza.’

She took her glasses from off her face and resisted the urge to rub her, now tired, eyes for fear of smudging her mascara.

‘Because THAT would be embarrassing…’

Slinging her satchel over her shoulder, she took one final look over her classroom to make sure nothing had been left behind before flicking the light off and closing her door for the only time that day. The school was an empty shell at this time of the day, without the students there Nell always felt like it was a hollow, soulless husk. She put her earphones in to drown out the sound of her own footsteps echoing throughout the corridors, waving at the janitor, who was busy buffing the floor, as she passed. She heard the faintest of “Goodnight”s filter through the music which she returned in earnest.

“Have a great weekend!”

The doors opened up to the warm Insomnian evening, the sun was still high in the sky despite the fact that evening was knocking and there was the faintest whisper of a breeze which kept the heat of the sun from becoming overbearing. Nell started her walk home, deciding against taking the subway given the outside temperature; she swept her long hair across and over her right shoulder, the waves tumbled down her arm and chest, she delighted in the breeze caressing her damp neck and chastised herself for forgetting to bring her sunglasses out with her this morning. She made a beeline for the trees that lined the pathway and her eyes found solace in the shade from the dazzling rays; she always enjoyed her walks home in the summer and it wasn’t too far from her apartment - the subway was more of a convenience than a necessity (unless she had a lot of marking with her, in which case the subway was her lifeline) but despite the hustle and bustle of the city and the heavy Insomnian air, there was still a lot of beauty to be found. She particularly enjoyed walking through the park on the South side of the city - it was about 15 minutes walk from her apartment and she would often go there on a weekend in summer to read; it had this one particular tree, the kind of tree that seemed as if it had been designed to be leaned against and yet it was purely the magic of nature at work. It was Nell’s tree, her reading tree. She was already thinking about which book she was going to take for her morning read tomorrow.

‘Tolstoy, perhaps?’

The park was still busy for the time of day, the extended hours of daylight brought out revellers and joggers alike. Nell watched as a group of children screamed in delight as they chased iridescent bubbles floating through the air, taking delight in how something so simple could bring so much joy. She continued her walk home, not forgetting to pick up her favourite Malbec en route, and found herself at the steps of her apartment. Home was a special place for Nell; in a city full of steel and glass, her humble apartment was nestled inside an old brick building like a memory of an Insomnia from long ago. She loved how the setting sun painted the bricks the colour of rust and made the old glass shimmer in the light - her apartment was perfectly situated to fully benefit from this golden hour of sunlight and she was already smiling in anticipation. The apartment was on the second floor of the building, and while she didn’t have the best views of the city like the third floor apartments, she could just about see the lush greenery of the park, a haven from the skyscrapers just within touching distance. She turned the key and pushed her door open to her very own oasis of calm and tranquility, the mismatched furniture looking more cosy than shabby. Nell set her satchel down on the dining table and took out the bottle of red wine before taking it through into the kitchen so she could pour herself a glass.

‘Damn, that’s good.’

That first sip felt as if it touched her very soul and she felt more than ready to tackle the marking she’d brought home with her.

‘But first, pizza…’

***

Nell woke to the sun streaming in through the large window, the leadwork casting intricate shadows across her bed. She sat up and stretched, her hair desperately trying to free itself from the loose bun she’d put it in the night before - the smell of coffee wafted from the kitchen and she thanked past Nell for remembering to set the filter coffee machine. Nell’s weekend morning routine was something she’d perfected since starting her teacher training and it hadn’t changed much in the year and a half since she’d graduated. It was quite simple really. She’d wake up, pour herself a cup of coffee, open the window in her living/dining room (regardless of the weather - Nell liked to have fresh air on a morning), press play on her iPod classic which she’d place on her docking station every evening, and sit in the window seat overlooking the street below whilst she drank her first cup of ebony. She’d then spend the next 10-15 minutes watering her many houseplants before taking a shower and getting ready for the day ahead. It had just turned 8:30am and the heat was bordering on stifling in the city.

‘Another scorcher’ she thought.

She pulled on a strappy white midi sun-dress and layered a denim shirt over it, tying it under her boobs. Already feeling the back of her neck begin to clam up she piled her hair on top of her head in a loose, messy bun and pulled her white tennis shoes out from under her bed - deciding against a full face of makeup she made do with a light moisturiser on her face, some eyeliner and mascara, thanking the astrals that her complexion, whilst alabaster, was at least clear.

She packed her sunglasses, blanket and lipbalm into her bag and picked up her book of choice from the large bookshelf in her lounge before heading out into the Insomnian summer towards her reading spot, making sure to grab an iced latte from the coffee shop on the way. Much like the evening before, the park was busy with families, dog-walkers and joggers but to Nell’s relief her reading spot remained unoccupied. She laid the blanket out on the floor at the base of the tree and settled herself against it, pulling her copy of Anna Karenina out of her bag. And that was how she spent her Saturday morning, and the Saturday mornings to follow for the remainder of the summer - she would sit there, completely transfixed by her book, for around two hours, before packing up her belongings and heading off to carry on with the rest of her day. Her appearance under the reading tree hadn’t gone unnoticed by one particular individual, who was also in the midst of his own Saturday morning routine. He saw her, every Saturday morning, sat on her blanket, reading her book - even as the summer waned and the first chill of autumn arrived, she still sat there reading. Until one morning, as he jogged towards the tree, he found the space beneath it to be empty. Gladio continued to find the space beneath the Yew tree empty for the next few weeks, and as the daylight ebbed away as the leaves began to fall, so did his hope of ever seeing her again. What book had she been reading? What was her name? These were questions that Gladio asked himself everytime he jogged past the empty space beneath the tree.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a cold Sunday in October, Gladio had been given a spare couple of hours away from his duties and felt the need to satiate the itch that only a good book could scratch. It had been a while since he’d devoured a piece of classic literature and figured that the library along from the Citadel was as good a place as any to cure the itch. His prize was a specific read that Ignis had recommended. Gladio headed straight to the classic literature section and began to comb through the dusty shelves.

‘Huxley… Huxley… Hmmmm’

Not quite accepting defeat he made his way over to the desk and cleared his throat, garnering the attention of the elderly librarian.

“Can I help you dear?” she enquired.

“I’m looking for A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, it uh doesn’t appear to be on the shelves…”

The old lady began typing on the keyboard in front of her and Gladio felt his heart sink as she shook her head.

“I’m sorry, dear. It appears that somebody already has it out on loan.”

“Oh. Well, thanks anyway.”

“You can come back next week and check to see if it’s been returned if you like?”

Gladio gave a quick nod before heading back towards the revolving entrance door, cursing as he noticed the rain bouncing on the stone steps. He pushed the door to exit the building and pulled the collar of his jacket up around his neck to keep the fat raindrops at bay. As he stepped outside he couldn’t help but notice a flash of copper hair rush past him out of the rain and into the safety of the revolving door; he turned his head towards the entrance, hoping to catch another glimpse of the figure but saw nothing but the elderly librarian from the desk pushing a cart full of books. His exhale hovered in front of his face before dissipating into the downpour, shoving his hands into his coat pockets he strode back towards the citadel. The itch would have to wait for another week.

The following Sunday, Gladio returned to the library, except this time he was looking for something else as well as the book. He paced slowly between the shelves, looking for the flame amongst the pages but fell short of his prize. He once again found himself at the librarian’s desk:

“Has it been brought back yet?”

“Sorry, dear?” she replied, looking up from the ledger. “Oh! Hello! A Brave New World, wasn’t it?”

Gladio hummed in response.

“I’m sorry to say that it’s been renewed for another week…” she noticed Gladio’s crestfallen face and quickly added “I can ask her to leave it next week when she brings it back?”

“Uh, no… it’s uh, okay. I’ll try again later.”

Once again, Gladio left the library empty handed.

‘Maybe it’s not meant to be.’

***

Two weeks passed before Gladio had any free time to get down to the library. He’d had a busy couple of weeks with his duties and he was ready to get lost in a good book, he’d resolved to leave that library with his prize - one way or another.

Bypassing the shelves he went straight to the librarian’s desk.

“Please tell me it’s been returned…”

The elderly lady removed her glasses from her face and placed them down in front of her, her friendly eyes meeting Gladio’s own burning ones.

“It’s not here yet…”

“It’s been renewed again?! Who the hell has a book on loan for 4 damn weeks?!”

“Sorry!” A sheepish voice called out from behind. “That uh… that person would be me.”

Gladio looked to his right as the person sidled alongside him, arms full of books that were stacked so precariously, one false move would send the lot tumbling to the ground. She dumped them on the desk with a clatter and began searching through the pile before plucking out ‘A Brave New World’. Gladio looked at the woman, who was bundled in a hat and scarf, and fixated on the loose copper curls that tumbled out from beneath the beanie she had on her head.

‘Surely not…’

He watched intently as she began leafing through the pages, pages that had been earmarked by cactus shaped post-it notes. Post-it notes with looping handwriting all over them.

‘Notes?’ he thought.

“Sorry, I’m just…. I’ll just get these off…”

‘No!’ Gladio shouted internally, touching her arm gently to stop her.

“Leave them, I uh…”

He shared a knowing glance with the flame haired woman, his fox red hues meeting dove grey irises, and she closed the book and handed it to him. He took it from her hands gently.

“Is it your first time?” she said quietly.

“Huh?”

“Reading Huxley, is it your first time?”

“Oh” Gladio cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. Recommendation.”

He offered her a broad smile which she returned with a small blush of her own.

“It’s a good read, you’ll enjoy it. Let me know how you find it…”

“And who should I ask for?” Gladio’s smile had doubled in size.

“Eleanor… uh sorry, Nell. The name’s Nell.” She flashed him a shy smile as she bundled up the remaining books and replaced her bag on her shoulder. “See you around…”

“Gladio.”

“See you around, Gladio.”

He stood in front of the librarian’s desk, still clutching onto the book as he watched her disappear in the revolving door. The sound of the librarian’s voice pulled him back into the room.

“I still need to scan that out for you, dear”

“Oh! Yeah. Uh, sorry…” he clumsily handed over the book, eyes drifting back to the spinning door, only looking back as he felt the book being replaced in his outstretched hand. The librarian supplied him with a knowing look.

“I suppose we’ll see you next week?”

“Yeah.” he replied with a slight smile. “Looks that way.”


	3. 3

Nell sat at her desk, papers strewn all about the place, and pinched the bridge of her nose, the first warning of a caffeine headache threatening. She’d been teaching all day and boy, did she feel it.

‘Shakespeare, you might have been a literary genius, but you’re really starting to piss me off.’

She’d been marking analyses of Hamlet for 3 hours now, her garula stir-fry long forgotten about. She noticed the now sad looking pile of meat and noodles perched at the end of her desk and sighed. Defeated.

“Shit.”

Taking the plate through to the kitchen she flicked the desk lamp off as she went, the action a sign that she was throwing in the towel for the evening. There were 4 weeks to go before her students were due to sit their first literature exam of the year and Nell wasn’t 100% certain who was more nervous about it. Truthfully, she’d been appalled at her own teaching the last couple of weeks, she’d been - distracted - and as much as she tried to feign ignorance to herself, she damn well knew the reason why.

‘The Huxley guy from the library.’

Nell was familiar with the idea of juxtaposition, hell, she taught it for a living, so the idea of a tall, buff looking dude reading classic literature intrigued her immensely. That’s not to say she didn’t think it was impossible, it just didn’t fit with the social norms she’d been surrounded by during her life thus far. She’d spent the last two weeks wondering if he was enjoying the book, if he was making his own notes to go with the ones she’d already made. She couldn’t help but feel the disappointment bubble in her stomach when she visited the library and he wasn’t there, and in the next breath would chastise herself for being so stupid and would tell herself to get a grip. Irritated, she picked up her latest read, ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, and settled herself down on the beaten leather couch tucking her legs beneath her and pulling the knitted blanket across her knees.

‘Two chapters.’ she thought. ‘And then bed.’

***

The librarian watched for the next three weeks as the tall, muscular man paced between the shelves, smirking to herself as he tried his best to look inconspicuous. He would do this for 10 minutes, in between picking up novels from the shelves, pretending to read the blurbs before returning them to their rightful places. Defeated and dejected, she watched for the final time as he trudged past her desk towards the exit.

“Your girl isn’t here.” she called after him.

Gladio spun round to meet her gaze and cocked an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry?”

“Your girl, the girl with the auburn hair? She’s not here.”

“I wasn-”

“You won’t find her here on a weekday. Unless it’s a Wednesday evening, in which case she’s here between 6pm and 8pm. She comes every Sunday between 2 and half past and goes once she’s done whatever the hell it is she does. She sits on that table over there and drinks Americano coffee, no sugar with a dash of cream and likes glazed donuts” the librarian gestured to the small table nestled in the corner of the room and then went back to looking at the ledger.

Gladio stood for a moment in stunned silence, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He walked towards the old lady behind the desk and rested his hands on the surface before leaning in towards her.

“Thank you” he whispered before walking to the exit and back to the Citadel, the spring in his step plain as day.

***

It was approaching 5:30pm on Wednesday and Gladio found himself stuck in a meeting with Ignis that he had, in all honesty, completely forgotten about.

“Is this gonna take much longer, Specs? I kinda have somewhere I need to be.”

“Where could you possibly need to be, Gladiolus? You’ve known about this meeting for weeks…”

“I know but, stuff’s come up”

Gladio shifted in his chair and fidgeted with his cross pendant.

“What kind of stuff?” Ignis pursued his line of questioning. “You’re not getting out of this without giving me a good enough reason.”

“Just… I gotta be somewhere at 6, can we - uh - wrap this up?”

Ignis’s brow furrowed behind his glasses as an exasperated sigh escaped his lips.

“Fine. You’re no use to me distracted in any case. Take this.” He passed Gladio a file across the desk. “Read it tonight and we’ll talk more tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Ignis. I appreciate it.” Gladio rose from his chair quickly, he was going to make his escape before the bespectacled man changed his mind.

“And Gladio?”

“Hmm?”

“Where are you actually going?”

Gladio paused and turned away from Ignis, trying desperately to conceal the smile on his face - his voice, however, gave him away.

“Library.”

Gladio sprinted along the hallway and down the stairs, cursing Ignis for yet another meeting that could have been an email. He stopped by the training room to shove the file he was still holding in his hand into his training bag, grabbing the handles hurriedly and throwing them across his shoulder, he maintained his pace as he raced down the Citadel steps and along the sidewalk towards the library.

‘Damn, I don’t remember it being this far.’ he thought as he kept his gaze fixed ahead, eyeing that gold revolving door. He slowed his pace to a jog about 30 feet away from the entrance and tried his best to steady his breathing so as not to give himself away. He took a few more deep breaths before straightening his back and bringing his shoulders behind him ever so slightly before walking through the door. His eyes scoured the area by the classic literature.

‘No sign of her…’

The librarian watched with glinting eyes as Gladio approached the imposing shelves. He saw a woman with her back to him, in docs, jeans and a khaki jacket, talking to a man - maybe early twenties - who was conversing with her rather animatedly. He thought nothing of it until he saw the unmistakable copper poking out from underneath her hat and tucked neatly inside her jacket, that’s when his stomach fell through the floor.

‘Wait… am I… jealous?’ He shook his head and walked slowly towards the pair, making eye contact with the man who took one look at Gladio and said his goodbyes before scurrying off. He traced his fingers along the spines of the books in front of him, stopping as his hand neared Nell’s, he looked down to find her reading a rather old looking book, completely unaware of his presence beside her.

“Nell?”

She looked up, a slight startled expression on her face, which softened immediately into one of recognition.

“Gladio! Hi! How’s things?”

“Good. Great, actually. You?”

“Can’t complain.” she mused. “I just need to get through the next week at work and all will be right in the world. How was Huxley? You like him?”

“Yeah. It was great actually, I uh, I’ve got it on loan for another week while I just finish a few things. I know you’ve read it before but d’ya wanna borrow it when I’m done? We could compare notes?” he didn’t mean for his tone to sound as hopeful as it came out and cringed at how it sounded. Nell either didn’t notice, or didn’t care.

“Oh really? You’d do that? That would be awesome. It’s been a while since I’ve read A Brave New World in depth so it’d be great to get a fresh perspective on it.”

Nell grabbed another book from the shelves to add to her ever increasing pile. Gladio offered his arms to Nell, gesturing for her to offload her book collection onto him. She continued to pick out books as they conversed.

“So you liked it, huh?”

“Yeah, kinda scary though, there’s so many parallels with society today. I mean sure, they’re more extreme in the book, but it’s there. Plain as day.”

“Right!” Nell agreed. “It’s really a commentary on modern day consumerism and technology, it always fascinates me that we can draw so many similarities between a book written like 90 years ago with our own existence in the modern day.” She pulled the chair out from under the desk and sat down as she continued. “The ending is uh… interesting.”

Gladio’s eyes crinkled as he let out a hearty laugh, it resonated in his chest like a warm crackling fire causing the hairs on Nell’s arms to stand to attention in a tingling salute.

“Yeah, bit weird…” he paused for a brief second to bring his gaze to meet Nell’s. “You mentioned about work being tough. Wanna talk about it?”

Nell diverted her eyes away from Gladio.

‘Ugh, does he think I’m being whiny?’

She fiddled with the zip on her jacket as she answered him “Pah, it’s okay. You don’t wanna hear about that…”

“Oh.”

‘Wait, was that disappointment in his voice?’ Nell raised her steel hues so that they were back to being level with his surveying eyes.

“It’s just uh… my students have a poetry exam next week - Keats, Wordsworth, Shakespeare, that sort of thing. I’m… I think I’m stressing vicariously, y’know? I want it to go well for them, and it’s like - the control is outta my hands now, there’s nothing more I can do.”

“Wait, you teach?”

“Mhm.” Nell nodded as she took a book from the pile.

“Wow. That’s cool.”

Gladio surveyed her as she thumbed through the yellowing pages of a Dickens novel, his eyes soft as her shoulders slumped forward with the effort of a sigh.

“It is.” she looked up from the book. “It’s intense though.”

“I can imagine.”

“We get this test out the way and we can just focus on finals. Next Friday you can bet your ass I’ll be watching trash tv with a bottle of red and a pizza.”

Gladio’s mind began to race. ‘Should I ask her out to dinner? Wait, no, that would be too soon, right? Coffee, maybe?’

“How about next weekend we do something to celebrate?”

Nell shuffled in her seat so she was sitting up level with Gladio, ears pricked and waiting.

“Next Sunday, we meet here at 2pm, I’ll bring the Americanos and glazed donuts, we can pick out books for each other and then set another date to swap notes. I’ll bring Huxley with me.”

“How did you know about the co-”

“An old bird told me”

He smirked at her, amber eyes glinting through those thick lashes and Nell could feel her face ablaze.

‘There’s a hot guy, in front of me, that wants to buy me coffee and donuts and compare notes about classic literature… what the fuck is going on?’

Instead she simply replied:

“I’d like that alot.”

“It’s a date!”

Gladio reached across the able for the pile of books beside Nell, his fingers brushing against her hand for a split second as he grasped the book closest to him.

“Hmm. War and Peace.”

Nell didn’t hear him, because she was pretty sure she’d just spontaneously combusted.


	4. 4

Nervous chatter filtered through the corridors of Insomnia High signalling the start of the first exam period of the academic year. Atmosphere thick with stress and tension, it was no wonder Nell had been suffering with a headache since the start of the week. She’d really put the hours in since Monday, making sure that she was available at all times for her students, whether it be to go over a poem one more time or simply to lend a sympathetic ear and give encouraging words. Nell understood all too well the pressure of exams, recalling her own traumatic experience during her penultimate Literature exam of her degree, that crippling fear when the ceaseless noise in your head suddenly goes deathly quiet and you can barely remember your own name, never mind provide an in-depth analysis of the themes in The Taming of the Shrew. Lots of crying and tequila was had that night, along with a rousing talk from her father, and one resit later, Nell had cracked it. As she stood in front of the 50 terrified faces that had gathered in her classroom she recalled every single feeling: the fear, the disappointment and finally, the elation.

“Believe me when I say that I know and understand how you’re all feeling. I remember it all too well. Please also believe me when I say that you got this. All of you.”

She scanned her eyes around the room with a warm smile, radiating positive energy.

“I’m so proud of you, you’ve all worked so damn hard and no matter what happens on the other side of that door, we come back after the break, we reset and we go at it again.”

Glancing down at her watch, she cleared her throat and surveyed her students.

“It’s that time, guys. I’ll walk down to the exam hall with you.”

***

The sound of The Smiths could be heard softly drifting along the empty school corridor, with most of the students in their exams for the next couple of hours in the larger halls at the other side of the school, the music was a refreshing change from the silence. Gladio followed the small lady in front of him as she led him deeper into the school - if the corridors were the school’s skeleton, Nell’s classroom was the beating heart - the door was already open; the receptionist’s soft knocking drew Nell’s attention away from her lesson plans.

“Miss Astrum, sorry to bother you but you have someone here to see you…”

Nell put her coffee mug back on it’s coaster and turned to face the door.

“Please, Marcelline, don’t apologise! It’s a welcome distract… Gladio?”

“Hey.”

“How did you… nevermind. Thank you, Marcelline, I’ll be sure to bring him back via reception so he can sign out.”

The receptionist offered Nell a quick nod and set off back down the corridor, heels clicking against the polished floor as she went. Nell perched herself on the corner of her desk and folded her arms loosely across her chest, surveying Gladio with dove irises; Gladio leaned casually against one of the student desks opposite her, a casual smile playing on his chapped lips.

“I don’t remember ever telling you where I worked.” Nell teased.

“You weren’t hard to track down.”

“Are you some sort of spy? Is that it?” her voice was laced with mirth which only encouraged Gladio to play along.

“I wouldn’t go that far. And even if I was, what makes you think I’d tell you?”

“You’re the one that shows up at my place of work unannounced. I think I’ll do the talking here, big guy.”

Gladio’s hearty laugh rang through the classroom.

“You got me there.”

Nell picked up her coffee cup and took a sip; it had gone cold long ago but it provided her hands with a much needed distraction - she could smell his cologne from her seat atop her desk; spicy, warm, inviting.

She swallowed the coffee hard. “So… what brings you here? You re-taking High School literature? Because I’m pretty sure you should be in that poetry exam…”

“That’s actually the reason I came.” He briefly took in Nell’s confused expression before providing swift clarification. “I remember you saying the exam was today and you seemed… pretty stressed about it. So I wanted to bring you something to cheer you up.”

Nell raised her eyebrows and set her coffee cup back down, watching Gladio as he reached inside the back pocket of his leather pants, eyebrows furrowing as he passed the package to her. She carefully unwrapped the brown paper covering the rectangular object and peeled it away to uncover old brown leather. She took it out of the paper fully and turned it over.

“A book?”

She traced her fingers over the embossed letters, ‘Great Expectations’, eyes crinkling as a smile spread involuntarily over her face.

“I… uh…” Gladio rubbed the back of his neck nervously with one of his large hands. “I remembered you looking through Dickens when we were at the library on Wednesday. It’s uh, it’s one of the very early editions, pretty sure there’s old notes in there too…”

Nell leafed through the pages as Gladio spoke, caressing the paper softly.

“I was going to wait until Sunday to give it to you but then I remembered about the exam and I… I was just thinking about you.” His voice trailed off into nothing, the confident man that had entered her classroom not 10 minutes earlier had completely disappeared, leaving behind a man who was looking at her with uncertainty and reverence in his eyes. “D’you… like it?”

“I love it, Gladio.” Nell replied quietly. “That was really thoughtful, thank you.”

She placed the book next to her coffee cup and slid off her desk, closing the 3 paces between her and Gladio with ease. She wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him gently towards her, his own large arms enveloping her with ease. They stood there for a few seconds, neither wanting to break contact first, until Nell gently, albeit reluctantly, pulled away. Gladio kept his hands resting on her arms, if only to prolong his contact with her and watched as the kindling sparked in her cheeks in the same way that they sparked in her hair, the colour of the finest sunset he’d ever seen. She shuffled slightly beneath his touch and he dropped his hands to his sides, resting them on the desk, eyes never moving off her as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She returned to her desk, her back to Gladio, and began looking for something. Gladio watched intently as she wrote something down on a small bit of paper. Turning back to face him Nell outstretched her hand and handed him the post-it; Gladio took it in earnest and looked down to read it.

“My number.” she clarified. “In case you wanna - uh - talk before Sunday. That’s if you still-”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay.. well… I need to head over to the exam hall, they should be finishing up soon and I want to be there when they come out so…”

“Oh yeah, sorry. I should get outta your hair.” Gladio moved from his position and motioned towards the door.

“No it’s fine! Honestly. I’ll walk you out?”

“Sure.”

The pair walked through the hallways in silence, neither of them uncomfortable by any means, until Nell led him back to the school entrance.

“It was good to see you, Gladio. And thank you… for the gift.”

“Anytime. See you Sunday at 2?”

Nell replied with a nod, only to be cut off by the feeling of rough lips being gently placed on her smooth cheek. She brought her hand up to her face to feel where his kiss had warmed her and saw him throw a sweet smile at her over his shoulder as he left. He didn’t look back again to see the own grin she’d kindled from the embers of his gesture, but he didn’t need to because he could feel it fluttering in his chest all the way back to the Citadel.

***

The vibration of a cell phone against wood roused Nell from her slumber.

‘What time is it?’

She turned over slightly so she could get a better look out of her bedroom window, the glass was awash with raindrops, twisting down the panes until they met the smooth stone sill and tumbled off the edge; the sky a mirror image of her own eyes. Groaning, Nell pulled the white duvet around her even tighter, and nestled herself further into the bedding; Insomnia was well and truly in Autumn’s grasp. Nell longed for crisp late-Autumn mornings where she could feel ruby and gold leaves kissed by frost crunch underneath her feet, where the sun washed everything in amber and proud blades of grass glittered like the last stars at dawn.

‘Okay, count to 10 and then we’re hauling our ass out of bed…’

She closed her eyes and began to count slowly and evenly, mustering the energy to drag herself away from the warm comfort of the bed. Rolling onto her back, she opened her eyes once more and looked to the soft fringes of ferns, ivy and philodendron that cascaded over the shelf above her bed.

‘Ten…’

Swinging her legs out of the bed, Nell planted her feet firmly on the woven rug, rubbing her eyes as she did so.

‘Gods, why am I so damn tired?’

Nell knew exactly why she was tired; the reason was the very same thing that woke her up this morning. She picked her phone up and took it with her into her kitchen, reading the text from Gladio as she poured her much needed cup of coffee. She fired him a quick message as she took her first few sips.

*Okay, real talk. Do you always keep girls up all night?*

She placed her phone down on the worktop and opened up the fridge, she had everything she needed for a satisfying breakfast of eggs and toast. Turning on her docking station she swayed her hips to the music as she took the eggs from their shelf in the fridge and cracked them into a bowl, rotating her hips with a basic salsa step in time with both the music and her whisk - only stopping to read the reply from Gladio.

*Only the ones I like ;) You can’t totally blame me, you were the one wanting to talk about Dickens all night*

Nell’s lips pulled upwards as she remembered their conversation from the night before, firing back a response almost immediately.

*That was entirely your doing and I refute all responsibility. Are we still on for this afternoon?*

She’d barely replaced her phone on the counter top when another message from Gladio came through.

*Absolutely! See you at 2 :)*

Face still plastered in the smile she’d been wearing since the night before, Nell finished up making her breakfast and poured herself another cup of coffee.

***

Black Doc Martins split puddles and sent droplets flying into tumbling raindrops as Nell dashed from the Subway station along slick sidewalks. Her khaki parka kept the majority of the downpour at bay but didn’t do much to keep the small drops of water falling from her hood and onto her nose. She quickened her pace to a slow jog, keeping in time with her music on her iPod - the library was in sight, just a little further to go.

She fell into the revolving doorway, keen to escape the now torrential rain, and pushed her hood back, freeing her wavy copper locks from their fabric prison. She took the sopping coat off and carried it in front of her, arm outstretched as far as it would go, the only saving grace was that it was at least warm in the library and she could hopefully get it dried off on one of the radiators before having to go out and brave the inclement weather once more. She walked the familiar route to her usual spot in the corner, heart sinking to find that Gladio wasn’t there. She checked her watch.

‘It’s fine, you’re five minutes early like the complete weirdo that you are.’

She laid her jacket on the radiator next to the table and sat herself down on a chair, pulling out the books she’d brought with her from her rucksack, books she’d picked out from her own collection for Gladio. She retrieved her pencil and post-its and made a start on ‘David Copperfield’, scribbling notes in the margins of her book with the pencil and earmarking pages with the sticky notes, iPod still playing in her ears, completely unaware of her surroundings until suddenly - the music stopped.

“Really? You started without me? Really? You have zero self-control, y’know that?”

“Shit! Sorry!” Nell fumbled with the earbuds, wrapping the cable around her iPod before putting it away in her bag. “I was early and I uh..”

“What’s with the iPod? You do know you can stream music to your phone now, right?” Gladio teased, causing Nell’s face to burn hot.

“Hey! It has all my favourites on there, all sorted into playlists and stuff… that’s been like 10 years worth of work”

“I like it. It’s kinda like the whole mixtape nostalgia thing.”

“Mhm.”

“So, whatcha got there?” Gladio looked over Nell’s shoulder at the pages in front of her, trying to guess the novel from the few words he could see.

“David Copperfield” Nell flashed Gladio a toothy grin.

“See, you needed no help from me to fall down the Dickensian rabbit hole, you got there all on your own.”

“Yeah, yeah… You got the goods, big guy?”

Gladio handed over the large takeout cup, returning the grateful smile Nell had given him.

“I’m sorry, they didn’t do it in bucket size…”

“Ass.” she whacked him playfully as he set the paper bag down in between them. “Did you bring ‘A Brave New World’ back?”

Gladio brought his backpack up to his knee and opened it, laying out the contents on the table. “I did. And also a few others I thought you might be interested in, although no doubt you’ll have read them all…”

Nell surveyed the selection of books in front of her, her hand wandered towards the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel right at the very back; Gladio picked the book up and handed it to her, calloused fingers grazing against her soft hand.

“I’ve always liked ‘Gatsby’” he said softly, fingers lingering against her smaller hands as he slowly relinquished the book to her, amber eyes finding solace in the stormy skies of hers.

“Me too” her reply was soft, like fluffy white clouds on a gentle breeze. “I quite like the 1920s era, it was all so… glamorous.”

“Glitz and glamour isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

“What makes you say that?” Nell assessed him with searching eyes.

“Well, the parties at the Citadel… they can be so stuffy.”

“You work at the Citadel?”

Gladio caught himself before he said too much.

“Uh… yeah. It’s nothin’.”

“A-ha! So you are a spy! I knew it!” Nell giggled as Gladio exaggeratedly rolled his eyes, unable to stop the grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“You got me!”

Nell’s expression softened as she surveyed Gladio. “But you do work for the Crown, right?”

Gladio responded with a nod.

“Glaive?”

“Crownsguard” he clarified. “Uh… Shield, actually.” He looked down at the book in front of him to avoid Nell’s eyes.

“So you’re an Amicitia, then?”

“Yeah.”

“You sure you have time to hanging out with me?” Nell asked, hoping that her question didn’t come across as being rude.

“For you, Nell, I make time.”

Nell blushed as he took her smaller hand in his own. His palms were rough, like those of a man that’d known hard work all of his life contrasting wonderfully with her smooth skin, hands that had shown nothing but care and tenderness to everyone she met.

“Gladio?”

“Hmm?”

Nell opened her mouth to speak but paused briefly, measuring her next words carefully. “Why didn’t you wanna tell me that you were the Prince’s Shield?”

Gladio carefully considered his response before settling on an answer. The truth. “I thought you might treat me differently.”

Nell laughed, but there was nothing funny about his answer.

“Why would you being Prince Noctis’s shield make me treat you any differently?”

“It’s just from experience… People are kinda… different with me because of my last name. I liked the anonymity I had with you, you didn’t give a rat’s ass about who I was - am.”

“Gladio, I still don’t give a rat’s ass about who you are.” Nell took in Gladio’s stunned expression before continuing. “You’re just, Gladio. This really sweet guy who brings me books and lets me talk to him all night about Charles Dickens. Your last name means nothing to me. Unless it should?”

“No! Gods, no.” Gladio squeezed Nell’s hand as he smiled warmly at her. “I like it like this.”

“It’s settled then. You’re Gladio and I’m Nell. Now, hand me over Huxley, I wanna read what you made of it.”

Gladio released Nell’s hand briefly as he passed her ‘A Brave New World’ before retaking it and watching as she began to read through his notes.


	5. 5

Nell & Gladio fell into an easy routine over the next few weeks. They would meet at the library every other Sunday to swap books and compare notes, Gladio would always bring the coffee and donuts and Nell would provide a selection of cute post-its for Gladio to use along with anecdotes from her previous week’s teaching. Sometimes they’d sit and talk for hours, their books open and neglected on the table, other times they’d sit in an easy silence whilst they read individually, only breaking the quiet to share a particular line from their respective books that piqued their interest. Gladio would quite often find himself watching Nell as she read, focusing on the way her lips curved upwards whenever she was reading something particularly enjoyable before thinking about how it would feel to have his lips pressed against them and then immediately banishing the thought from his mind. The problem was, these thoughts seemed to enter his head more often than not, regardless of whether or not he was with Nell and it was starting to seep into his work life, a fact that hadn’t gone unnoticed by Ignis. After successfully dodging yet another of Gladio’s attacks during their morning sparring session, Ignis finally brought up the subject the two of them had been dancing around since that first meeting at the library.

“Do you care to tell me what’s going on with you?” Ignis sent his daggers back to the Armiger and folded his lithe arms in front of him.

“No idea what you’re talkin’ about, Iggy.” Gladio ignored Ignis’s cocked eyebrow and began doing push-ups, hoping that Ignis would drop whatever conversation he planned on having with him.

“You must take me for a bloody fool,” Ignis scoffed, watching with seafoam eyes and a smirk as Gladio dodged the question. “You’ve been distracted for weeks!”

“I’m… not… distracted” Gladio grunted in between words has he continued his push-ups.

“It’s funny really…”

Gladio stopped and got to his feet, folding his massive arms across his chest, eyes burning.

“What’s funny?”

“Well,” Ignis began. “I’d say that your recent behaviour seems to correlate with your sudden fascination with the library.”

“It’s not like me reading books is anything new, Specs” Gladio’s tone was almost a growl. “I don’t see what point you’re tryin’ to make.”

“There’s a girl, isn’t there?”

“What! No!”

“Oh come off it, Gladiolus” Ignis was losing his patience with Gladio. “You can’t pull the wool over my eyes. You’re courting! That’s why you’ve been distracted and that’s why I’ve been kicking your arse in training for the last month. So come on, who is she?”

Gladio rolled his eyes and walked away from Ignis and towards his gym bag, reaching for his water bottle as he answered. “She’s just someone I know in passing, okay?”

“You seem to see her an awful lot for someone you just know ‘in passing’.”

“Quit proddin’, Specs!”

Ignis surveyed Gladio, speculation appeared in the form of pursed lips and a furrowed brow. “There’s something different about this girl though, isn’t there?” He paused for Gladio to respond but continued when Gladio remained silent. “Normally you’d be crowing about a new lady in your life, boasting about your sexual prowess and generally being… well, tiresome.” He ignored the blazing scowl Gladio sent his way. “You haven’t mentioned this girl once, not to me, or anyone else for that matter and you’ve certainly never let a woman affect you like this before.”

Ignis waited as Gladio chewed his words over.

“She’s… different.” Gladio sighed. “It feels different.”

“In what way?”

“I like her, Ignis.”

“You’ve liked a lot of other women, you don’t bed women that you don’t like.”

Gladio chose to ignore Ignis’s comment. “No, Ignis. I like her.”

“So you haven’t…”

“Nope. And I don’t want to either. Not yet. I wanna do things… properly.”

“Well…” Ignis pushed his glasses up his nose and rubbed his forehead. “This is a turn up for the books.”

Gladio wiped the sweat from the back of his neck, chewing the inside of his cheek with knitted brows. He tossed the towel back into his bag and slumped against the wall, sinking to the floor with a sigh.

“I dunno what to do, Iggy. I wanna do more than just have coffee in the library and take her lunch to work.”

“So that’s where you’ve been sneaking off- Nevermind.” He caught Gladio’s unimpressed expression and cut himself off, sitting opposite his friend with crossed legs. “Have you taken her out on a proper date?”

“Not yet.”

“And why not?”

“Because I don’t want her to think that I’m just out for - y’know”

Ignis laughed. “I highly doubt she’s going to read anything into dinner.”

“You think I should ask her out to dinner?”

“Well I think it would be a start.”

Gladio fidgeted with the corner of the towel poking out the top of his gym bag. “I don’t even know where I’d take her.”

“Leave it with me, Gladio.” Ignis smiled across at the man in front of him, emerald glinting behind metal and glass. “I’ll sort out the details, you just speak with you lady-friend and let me know a day and time.”

“Eleanor.” Gladio said quietly.

“Hmm?”

Gladio raised his eyes to meet Ignis’s, a smile playing on his chapped lips.

“Her name’s Eleanor.”

***

Nell smoothed the fabric of her dress as she surveyed her reflection in the mirror, brows knitting in frustration. This had been the fourth outfit she’d tried on and she was no closer to having anything presentable to wear for her dinner date with Gladio. He’d mercifully provided her with the name of the restaurant he would be taking her to so that she could pick out something suitable to wear but this had somehow made things worse.

‘It would be one of the nicest places Downtown that he’s booked our reservation for.’

She let out an exasperated sigh and flopped down on the bed, eyes fixed to the ceiling for fear of looking at the clock beside her bed and, upon realising the time, causing the reservoir of panic she’d dammed up so well to come surging forward.

‘You don’t have time for this. Your hair is still a mess, you’ve not even done your makeup yet…’

Nell squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply in a last ditch attempt to steady her nerves. The thought of a place setting with multiple sets of cutlery filled her with complete dread and while she’d told Gladio that she didn’t care about his social status or his family name, the very fact he was taking her somewhere so upmarket only served to highlight the stark differences between them - a thought that made Nell feel very uneasy.

With shaky breaths, Nell sat herself upright, legs hanging off the end of the bed. She picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found who she was looking for, pressing “call” without hesitation. Her lifeline answered on the second ring.

“Mom?”

“Nellie! Everything okay, sweetie? Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your big date?”

Nell sniffed, the sound of her mother’s voice coaxing the tears that were threatening to spill over. “I have nothing nice to wear.”

“Nonsense! You have lots of lovely dresses.”

“Nothing suitable. He’s taking me to Semper.”

“Oh wow! Yes, that’s -uh-”

“Really fancy.”

Her mother’s silence did nothing to quell Nell’s rising panic.

“What am I gonna do, Mom?”

“Well first of all you can stop panicking.”

“Gee, thanks. Hadn’t thought of doing that”

Nell’s mother tutted at the remark. “Do you want my help?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m just…”

“I know, hon.” she tried her best to soothe Nell. “What about the black dress you wore when you graduated?”

“The wrap one with the little sleeves?”

“That’s the one. It’s below the knee, so it’s classy but also showcases your… assets. Pair of leopard print heels, red lipstick and that signature smile of yours. You’ll knock him dead.”

Nell walked over to her wardrobe and pulled the dress in question out, holding it against her body as she stood in front of the mirror.

“I think you might be right.”

“Of course I am, I’m your mother. It’s what we do. Now, get off the phone and get a wiggle on, you’ve not got much time!”

Nell pulled her mouth up into a grin as she replied. “Thanks, Mama. I love you.”

“I love you too, Nellie. Have a wonderful evening with your date and I want all the details when you come over for dinner tomorrow.”

“Bye, Mama.”

Nell tossed her phone onto the bed and sat down at her dresser, pulling her makeup bag in front of her. She studied her face in the looking glass in front of her before carefully applying primer all over her face.

“It’s going to be okay. We’ll have good food, good wine and good conversation. It’s just Gladio.”

She exhaled through her mouth and set about putting on the rest of her makeup.

***

Gladio pulled at his tie nervously, cursing as he felt it constrict around his throat.

“You sure about the tie, Iggy?”

Ignis, who was inspecting one of Nell’s books, looked at Gladio over his glasses from his position in the chair. “Personally, I think it’s proper to wear a tie when taking a lady out to dinner” he smirked as Gladio let out a groan. “However, if you find it to be uncomfortable I think it would be better to go without on this occasion.”

No sooner had the words left Ignis’s mouth, Gladio pulled the knot and lifted the tie over his head, tossing it onto his bed like it were ablaze and popped the top button of his shirt open. He carefully tucked the navy blue fabric of his shirt into his smart black trousers and neatly rolled the sleeves up to his elbows, he had no intention of wearing the dinner jacket that laid on his bed but he would take it just in case. His date night ensemble was completed by a pair of black leather desert boots, along with matching belt (painstakingly picked out by Ignis) and a splash of his favourite cologne.

“Iggy?”

“Hmm?”

“You think I should maybe do something with my hair?”

“What did you have in mind exactly?”

Gladio hesitantly pulled his burnt umber locks into a ponytail at the back of his head, securing it into a bun with a hair-tie. He glanced in Ignis’s direction for much needed reassurance, but to his dismay what he found instead was a blank expression.

“Well?”

“I have no strong feelings either way, but it’ll have to do, you need to get going.”

Checking his watch Gladio realised that Ignis was correct.

“Shit. I gotta be at her house to pick her up in exactly 11… make that 10 minutes.”

He grabbed his jacket from the bed and headed out of his bedroom, shouting behind him.

“You okay to just let yourself out?”

Ignis heard the sound of keys being grabbed and the apartment door clicking open. “Yes! Enjoy your date! And don’t forget to pull Eleanor’s chair out for her before she sits down!”

The sound of a door closing was the only reply Ignis received.


	6. 6

Gladio checked his phone nervously as he put his truck in park outside of an old brick apartment block. He was sure he was in the right place but couldn’t help second guessing himself all the same.

‘Definitely the right address.’

He shut off the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt, taking one last look at himself in the rear view mirror before getting out of the truck. He pressed what he hoped was the right call button on the apartment entrance, relief flooding through him when he heard the familiar voice on the other end.

“Hey, it’s Gladio.”

“Two secs, I’ll come down to meet you.”

“Nah you won’t, we’re doin’ this properly. I’m s’posed to pick you up from your door.”

Nell could hear his grin through the intercom. “I’ll buzz you up, big guy.”

“Thanks, doll.”

Nell knew she had between 45 seconds and a minute to get rid of the blazing blush that had spread across her cheeks like a raging fire at the expense of his affection; she fanned her face furiously, rushing into the bathroom to assess the damage in the mirror.

“Shit. Shit. Shit…”

She increased the intensity of her face fanning, only stopping for the loud knock on her apartment door. She smoothed her dress for the hundredth time since putting it on and went to greet her date for the evening. Gladio wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see on the other side of that door but his throat constricting at the sight of Nell was something he hadn’t counted on. The black crepe fabric of her dress hugged her waist exquisitely before draping over her hips just enough so that Gladio could appreciate the curve of them before hanging delicately, stopping just below the knee; the neckline looked as if it was made for Nell’s breasts which were showcased beautifully by the wrap design. Gladio’s eyes flicked across her face, skin like expensive porcelain and cherry red lips that were deliciously plump and inviting.

“You look gorgeous, doll.”

He leant forwards to place a gentle kiss on her cheek, inhaling her perfume as he did so - lychee and raspberry, balanced perfectly with vanilla, freesia and amber - feminine and sparkling, like the woman stood before him.

Nell just about managed to croak out a “Thank you.” He smelled of spiced leather, cedar & sandalwood - intoxicating. There was no doubt in Nell’s mind - the man knew how to dress well and yet there was something off about his appearance. She flashed her eyes up and down him, trying to work out what it was that was so different before settling on his face. Smirking, she reached towards his face and behind his head, tugging at the small bun and releasing his brunette locks.

Gladio eyed her nervously as his newly-freed hair fell about his face. “No?”

“…No.” Nell offered him a teasing look as she placed the hair tie into his hand which he quickly shoved into his trouser pockets.

“I guess that’s that. Shall we?” he offered Nell his hand, which she took hesitantly, and led her down to his truck, opening the door for her so she could get in.

The ride to the restaurant was filled with uneasy tension; Nell’s gaze was firmly fixed out of the window, her hands wringing together in her lap. Gladio glanced sideways, trying to wordlessly get her attention for fear of spooking her if he broke the silence, he reached his free hand across and gently rested it on her thigh, she flinched softly at the contact, a surprised pout on her lips. She became suddenly aware of how tense her thigh must have felt underneath his warm hand and tried her best to relax her leg which only seemed to exacerbate the tension. Gladio offered her a reassuring smile and gently rubbed circles with his thumb on her thigh in an attempt to soothe her, smile widening as he felt her relax slightly under his touch.

***

“We’re here.”

Nell, unbuckled her seatbelt and went to open the truck door but was stopped by Gladio’s large hand encircling her wrist gently, amber eyes pleading.

“Let me.”

She waited in the truck as Gladio walked round to get the door for her, taking her hand in his as he helped her out and, to her surprise, not letting it go as he led the way to the restaurant’s entrance. He held the door open and gestured for Nell to go in front of him, eyes dropping down her back as he watched her walk in front of him.

‘Damn, that dress makes her ass look good.’

He quickly returned his eyes to the desk in front of him, giving his name to the maitre d’ and following behind as they were led to their table in a quiet corner of the restaurant. He watched as the maitre d’ pulled out Nell’s chair for her and made sure she was settled before taking his own seat opposite her, throwing her a warm smile as the head waiter left.

“You okay?”

Nell nodded in response as she surveyed the room, eyes focusing on the large modern chandelier in the centre of the room, marvelling at the shards of glass that seemed to hover in the air like suspended icicles, sending scattered rainbows across the room.

“It’s beautiful here, Gladio” her gaze wandered and settled uncomfortably in her lap. “I don’t think I’ve ever been somewhere so nice before.”

“Well, you deserve somethin’ nice.”

She blushed as she traced her finger-tips over the shiny cutlery in front of her, panic rising as she struggled to remember which way in she was supposed to go for each course.

“Uh, Gladio?”

“Yeah?”

If his tone had been any softer, Nell was certain she’d have melted through her chair into a puddle on the floor. She lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper. “You’re meant to work your way inwards right? With the cutlery?”

Gladio gave her a soft chuckle to accompany his reply but was in no way patronising. “Yeah, work your way in.”

“Thanks.”

Their waiter for the evening filled their glasses with water before offering them wine which was gratefully welcomed by Nell. She sipped her Shiraz as the waiter confirmed their food order with Gladio and shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she felt the eyes of other restaurant-goers all over her.

“I can’t help but feel like I’m being watched.” mumbled Nell, stormy hues looking for reassurances from honey eyes.

“It’s only ‘cause you’re so gorgeous.” He tried his best to not show his own uneasiness; Gladio knew why Nell felt uncomfortable because he too had felt the beady scrutiny of eyes all around. Being an Amicitia had its perks, but it also had its pitfalls. This was one of them. “It’s probably because they know my dad.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Try not to worry, ‘kay?” Gladio flashed his signature smile at Nell and surveyed her with eyes that held all the warmth of whiskey on a cold day, he reached across the table and took her hand, caressing it with calloused fingertips. He knew exactly what she was worrying about. “You look really beautiful, Nell.” Her cheeks bloomed into her wine glass as she took another sip of ruby liquid and she hoped that it could at least be passed off as an effect of the alcohol. The arrival of their meal provided Nell with a welcome shift in Gladio’s attention and at least gave her hands something to occupy themselves with that wasn’t a wine glass, yet despite Gladio’s interest in his food, Nell still felt eyes on her. She tried her best to appreciate the food on her plate, after all, she couldn’t deny the fact that it was probably the nicest meal she’d ever eaten, but her apprehension soon got the better of her. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by Gladio who watched behind a furrowed brow as Nell pushed her food around her plate and made a conscious effort to try and lighten the mood.

“You’re showin’ that Garula steak who’s boss there, doll.”

“Huh?” Nell brought her dove irises up to meet Gladio’s appraisal.

“Pushin’ it around your plate…”

“Oh, sorry. I -uh- just… Can you tell I’ve never done this before?”

Gladio purposely took another mouthful of food as he answered. “Absholutely not, dahling. You’re a complete nashural.” His eyes glinted mischievously as Nell nearly choked on the water she was drinking.

“Gladio!” she flashed him a shocked expression.

“You’re a-” Gladio paused as he almost choked on the piece of steak in his mouth, which only seemed to amuse him further as he croaked, “you’re a vision, an absolute delight, my dear. Everyone else pales in comparison to you and your beauty.” He waggled his eyebrows at her as she began to erupt into giggles.

“Gladio, stop!”

“Ma petite fleeuuurrrr. ‘Ow iz ze garuuula. Ma salade iz, ow do zey say it? Simply ‘orrifique.”

Nell snorted at his obscene accent, covering her face with her napkin so that she couldn’t see him continuing to wiggle his eyebrows at her. “Please! Stop!”

“Alright, alright.” He held his hands up. “I’ll behave.”

Nell reached for her wine and took a drawn out sip, trying to regain her composure.

“Ahonhonhonhonhon!”

How she stopped herself from spitting her red wine out everywhere, Nell will never know. Gladio laughed heartily as Nell coughed and spluttered, the timbre of his mirth reverberating in his chest with the clarity of a fanfare. She tried her best to throw him an unimpressed glare but her smirk gave her away.

“You’re going to get us thrown out” she mumbled.

“That could be pretty interesting. I’m what? 220? They’d need at least three of ‘em to literally throw me.”

Nell returned Gladio’s grin with a raised eyebrow and a shake of the head. “Okay, fine. They won’t throw you out, but they won’t be polite about it when they ask us to leave.”

“Pah!” Gladio shrugged. “This place is stuffy as hell anyway. Let me go pay the bill and we’ll get outta here. There’s a place a few blocks from here that does good ice cream, wanna share a sundae?” His eyes sparkled as he saw Nell’s mouth split open into the widest smile he’d seen all evening. He got out of his seat and motioned to Nell, pulling her chair out for her as she stood. Gladio led the way out of the restaurant, paying the bill on his way, stepping out into the cold air with Nell. He noticed as she tried her best to stifle a shiver.

“You cold, doll?”

“I’m fine, Gladio. Honestly” she lied.

“Wait here.” He walked to his truck that was parked 10 meters down the road and got something off the back seat, returning to Nell with the suit jacket in his hand. He gently draped it over her shoulders. “Can’t have you walkin’ around without a coat, you’ll get sick.”

“You’re not wearing one” Nell teased.

“No, ‘cause you’re wearing it” he smirked at her as he draped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her into his side, “and because I’m always so damn hot.” He punctuated his last statement with a wink, causing Nell to shoot him an amused look.

“Yeah…”

They walked the short distance to the ice cream parlour with their arms wrapped around each other, steps in sync, conversation peppered with laughter and with the usual lightness between them they’d become accustomed to. On entering the parlour, Nell shuffled into a booth while Gladio went to the counter and ordered a large Knickerbocker Glory.

“Two spoons.”

He joined Nell in the booth and flashed her a toothy grin as he swung his legs under the table.

“I hope you brought your A-game, the sundaes in here are somethin’ else.”

“You’ve made a fatal error there, Gladiolus Amicitia.”

“Have I really?” Amber gleamed behind slightly lidded eyes, his tone beguiling.

“Yep.”

“And -uh-” he began tracing patterns up and down Nell’s arms with delicate touches, eyes locked onto hers. “What error have I made?”

“You’ve completely underestimated my ice cream eating ability. You’re gonna have to get in there fast if you wanna get any of the good bits.”

Gladio’s chest rumbled as he laughed, honey eyes crinkling at the corners. “Maybe I’ll just let you have ‘em anyway.”

“That’s talk of someone who knows he’s beaten”

Nell shot Gladio a smug look as the sundae was placed in between them, each taking a spoon.

“Oh it’s on.” Gladio dug his spoon into the soft ice cream, taking a sizeable delve out of the top and shoving it into his mouth.

***

Gladio pulled up outside Nell’s apartment for the second time that night and put the truck in park before shutting off the engine, the only sound in the cab was the radio playing softly.

*Not really sure how to feel about it, something in the way you move. Makes me feel like I can’t live without you, it takes me all the way. I want you to stay*

“Thank you for tonight, Gladio. I had fun” Nell glanced over to him from her seat beside him with soft eyes.

“Could’ve started better. I mean, it was nice, but…”

“Not really us?” Nell finished.

“Yeah” Gladio sighed. “Sorry, I -uh- I was so worried about makin’ sure that tonight was special for you, I got Iggy to help me out.” He looked at Nell apologetically. “In hindsight, probably wasn’t the best place to go.”

“No! Don’t be sorry, Gladio” it was Nell’s turn to take Gladio’s hand this time. “Please don’t apologise. It was lovely. Really. It was some of the nicest food I’ve ever had, it’s just… I prefer it when we can just relax and just be us. Together.”

Gladio leaned over the central console in the truck and placed his hand on the side of Nell’s face, his fingers lacing into her hair, as he crashed his lips onto hers, moving them slowly at first but increasing the pressure as he found resistance from Nell’s lips moving back against him. He parted her mouth gently with his tongue and massaged it against hers, moving in tandem like it were the most natural thing in the world. She moaned into his mouth and pulled away slightly, just enough to take his bottom lip in between her teeth gently causing a growl to rumble in Gladio’s chest. He gripped her hair slightly, gently enough so as not to hurt her, but with enough force to evoke a sharp inhalation of breath from Nell, whose breathing had become staccato. She placed her hand on his chest, fiddling with the buttons to free the flesh she so desperately craved, earning herself a guttural moan from Gladio as her fingernails dug into his skin. She pulled her mouth away from his, voice breathy.

“Do you… wanna come in… for coffee?”

Gladio kissed her again and felt her chest bloom underneath him. “I’d love to but…” Carnelian hues locked with irises that sparkled like grey star sapphires under the light of the moon.

“You’re right” Nell whispered. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry” Gladio pressed his forehead against Nell’s and closed his eyes. “I want to, it’s just, I wanna do things properly. With you.”

Nell placed a soft kiss on his lips and traced her thumb gently over the base of his scar. “I get it. Thank you.” She opened the car door, turning to Gladio before she got out. “Talk tomorrow?”

“You know I’m not gonna be able to wait that long.”

She hopped out of the car and closed the door, a smile painted on her lips that Gladio caught through the window. He watched as she let herself into her building and headed up the stairwell to her apartment, exhaling sharply as he leaned his head back against the headrest. A smile playing on his mouth as he took one last look at Nell’s apartment building, only growing as he saw a light illuminate one of the windows on the second floor. He turned the engine of the truck back on and drove back to his apartment with the knowledge that he was going to spend the rest of the evening thinking of all the sinful things he wanted to do to the woman he’d just dropped off.


	7. 7

Muted light pooled like brandy in the crevices of Gladio’s bedding, it’s full potential veiled by the swathes of fabric draped over the window. Gladio stirred, amber eyes drifting open and across to the digital clock on his left, groaning at the realisation that he’d overslept for his early morning run. He shuffled so that he was sitting up, pillows propping up his back comfortably and stretched, a loud yawn accompanying the action that split the silence blanketing Amicitia Manor.

‘9am’ Gladio mused. ‘Dad’s probably at work by now. But where’s-’

His question was answered by a soft knock on his bedroom door and the creak of it opening slightly, a shock of dark hair poking around the corner.

“Iris”

“Mornin’, Gladdy.”

She approached his bed with outstretched arms with Gladio only too happy to oblige, he wrapped her up in a hug and placed a small kiss onto her temple.

“Mornin’”

He unfurled the wings that had settled around her back and watched as she sat on the edge of the bed beside him, noting the perceptive look in her eyes.

“You came back earlier than I was expecting” she said, corners of her mouth pulled slightly upwards.

“Hmm?”

“After your date.. I wasn’t expecting you back ‘til the early hours.”

“Why?” Gladio cocked an eyebrow.

“You took a girl out, didn’t you?”

“… Yeah, that’s usually what happens on a date. And this was last week, why are you takin’ interest all of a sudden?” Amber eyes narrowed as he tried to work out exactly where the younger Amicitia was going with this.

Iris ignored her brother’s question, “You don’t normally come home from dates so early.” A knowing look flashed from her sienna eyes causing Gladio’s brows to knit together. Iris may only have been fifteen, but she wasn’t stupid.

“I dunno what you mean” Gladio grumbled eliciting a small eye-roll from Iris. “We had dinner, I dropped her home. I’m not sure what else you were expectin’.”

“Did you have fun?”

Gladio’s expression changed at her question, his furrowed brow relaxed and a soft smile formed on his lips.

“We did. It was…” Gladio paused, remembering the way Nell’s eyes lit up whenever she laughed and how her smile made his stomach flip. “She’s amazing.”

“Are you gonna take her out again?”

Gladio’s grin widened as he surveyed his sister. “Definitely.”

***

Footfalls struck concrete at an even pace; breathing - controlled and unwavering. Whiskey hues remained fixed ahead in complete focus only occasionally glancing down at a watch-clad wrist to check that he was still on pace - and on time. His destination was in his sights, slowing his pace he reached behind him and shrugged off his backpack to pull his cell out of the zipped compartment.

*I’m nearly here, you still teaching?*

He placed the phone into his pocket and checked on the sandwiches he’d boxed up inside his backpack, relieved to see that they were still in one piece despite his running. He replaced the bag on his back and walked the rest of the way to the school entrance, checking his phone as he went.

*I am but I’m almost done. Just sign in at reception and come straight down - they know you’re coming.*

Gladio entered the reception area and waved at Marcelline through the glass who offered a welcoming smile as she approached him with a visitor’s badge.

“Good afternoon Mr Amicitia. Are you well today?”

“All the better for seein’ you, Marcelline” he replied with a wink, taking the badge from her through the gap in the glass and attaching it to his Crownsguard running jacket, causing a blush to spread across the older woman’s face.

“Oh, Mr Amicitia, you are too kind! I’m sure you know where you’re going by now, yes?”

“I do, thank you. Say hi to the other ladies for me?”

He walked through the double doors into the main part of the school, chuckling at the chorus of “Hello, Mr Amicitia”s behind him. The corridor was just starting to fill up as students were released from their lessons a couple of minutes early, ignoring the looks and whispers from them as he made his way to his destination. He arrived at the classroom and stood in the open doorway, leaning against the frame casually with his huge arms folded across his chest. He watched with warm eyes as Nell sat on the edge of her desk, legs swinging underneath it slightly and hands either side of her resting on the edge of the desk.

“So we’ve looked at some of the defining aspects of Gothic literature, this will form the basis of your final literature exam in the Summer. We have between now and then to get three novels pinned down.” Nell noticed the panic in her students’ faces and raised her hand to quell the outbreak of murmuring. “Don’t worry! You only have to get to grips fully with one of them. The exam paper will be split into about 8 questions and each question is split into sub-questions, you only have to focus on one question, but answer all of the questions relating to it. Each question focuses on a different book.”

“So why do we have to study three books?”

“Excellent question, Salus. The reason is simple. You have to think of novels like people, you’re not gonna get along with every single one you encounter, some will be hard work and some you just won’t be able to work out. The more you encounter, though, the more likely it is that you’ll find something you like. It’s much easier to analyse and answer questions about a book you’ve enjoyed. Believe me.” Ashen eyes scoured the room to ensure that there were no further questions troubling her class. “We’re going to look at ‘Dracula’, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ and ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, all very classically Gothic and should provide you with a lot of stuff to get you going.”

Gladio’s lips curved into a smile as he continued to watch Nell, who up until now was completely unaware of his presence, her eyes flicked across to the doorway to meet his adoring gaze, cheeks blooming as she returned her attention to her class.

“We’ll -uh- cover the basics of each book, outline the things you need to know and then you can -uh- pick the one you find you have the most affinity with.” She regained her focus quickly as she continued to address her students. “After that you’ll have to put all the skills we’ve learned together to continue to pull apart and analyse your chosen book. At the end of the guided phase I’ll ask each of you to choose which novel you’re going to study for the exam and I’ll provide you with a clean copy of the book for you to take into the exam. You can make minimal notes in the margins to help you on the day but they will be inspected by the invigilators as you go into the exam to make sure they meet the requirements.” She was cut off by the sounding of the lunch bell and the rustling of bags as books and pens were packed away. “Any questions before you go? No? Okay, see you all on Friday afternoon, have a good week everyone!”

Gladio moved into the corridor as the classroom emptied, offering a “hello” to each student as they passed. Nell watched from her position on her desk, only moving as Gladio came through the door into the classroom.

“How long were you stood there for?” she asked as he pressed a swift kiss to her cheek.

“Long enough to know that you’re an amazin’ teacher.”

“Shush” she lowered her eyes as her face glowed hot causing Gladio to hook a finger under her chin and tilt her head so she would bring her eyes back up to meet his honeyed stare.

“Quit bein’ humble. You’re doin’ a great job, Nellie, it doesn’t take a genius to see that.” He placed a chaste kiss on her lips to punctuate his statement. “You gotta learn to take a compliment, doll.” They stood in silence for a few seconds as Gladio ran his hands up and down Nell’s arms, smiling warmly at her. “You hungry?”

“Starving” she replied with a wolfish grin. “What you got for me there, big guy?”

“Lestallum spiced chicken sandwich with Leiden peppers and cheese…” he noticed Nell’s nose wrinkle and offered the alternative. “Chicken mayo with salad?” Nell took the sandwich from his hands.

“Thanks. I’ll leave you the spicy sandwich, I’m teaching this afternoon…”

“Gotcha.” Gladio grinned as he put his sandwich down onto the desk. “I also made us a fruit salad, it’ll keep you goin’ ‘til you finish.”

“You shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble!”

“Hey! When I say I’m bringin’ you lunch, I’m bringin’ you lunch.”

Nell threw her head back as she chuckled. “Well, I appreciate it all the same. D’you want some coffee? I was just gonna head to the tea room to fix us up.”

“Coffee would be great, doll. Thanks.”

Gladio pulled up a chair to Nell’s desk and set out the sandwiches and fruit salad while she went and got their coffee, laying the small wrapped package he’d also brought with him beside her coffee cup mat and looking as inconspicuous as he could possibly manage as Nell reappeared with two steaming mugs of ebony in hand.

“You take it with milk, right?”

“Yeah” Gladio took the mug from her gratefully. “I can’t drink it black like Iggy.”

“My black ebony days existed solely during my college years. If I coulda had it intravenously, I would’ve”

“What d’ya mean could’ve? Don’t pretend like you don’t already do it” He grinned at her as he took a bite from his sandwich. “I reckon you could out-ebony Ignis.”

“I’m not sure if I should be offended or not…” Nell reached for her coffee, hand grazing the small package wrapped in brown paper and string. “Did you bring this?” She shot Gladio a surprised look, eyes shining like grey moonstone as Gladio nodded in reply. “You shouldn’t have!”

“Open it.” Gladio coaxed, smiling in anticipation.

Nell gasped as she peeled back the paper to see a beautiful decoupage book. She opened the cover to find a handwritten note on the inside cover along with a pressed flower - a stem of gladioli.

‘A place for your thoughts.’

Nell passed her fingertips over the writing, tracing the shapes of Gladio’s lettering - neat and refined yet with a strong masculinity; she picked up the pressed flower delicately and looked across to Gladio. “It’s beautiful. I… I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s a bookmark, so you can think of me whenever you’re reading” he grinned cheekily as he watched Nell’s face flush red. “I’ve been pressing it for you since we met in the library.” Nell’s lips parted in surprise. “And the book I saw this mornin’ while I was on my way here. Remember you said last week at dinner that you always have random shower thoughts but never think to write ‘em down?”

“You bought me a beautiful book with really nice paper just so I could write my shower thoughts down?”

“Is it okay?”

“Are you kidding?” Nell brushed her lips against his stubbled cheek, like rose petals against bark. “It’s perfect, Gladio.”

He leaned across the food and pressed his lips softly against Nell’s, a chaste display of affection, before pulling away and losing himself in pewter eyes. He leaned back into his chair, clearing his throat, bringing himself back down to earth and took another bite out of his sandwich. “So I was thinkin’…”

“Hmm?” Nell hummed in response through a mouthful of fruit.

“How would you feel if we went out again? Like, another date?”

Nell swallowed the piece of mango she’d been chewing. “I’d like that.”

“What do you wanna do?”

She paused for a moment before answering him. “I dunno, maybe just somewhere quiet for drinks? I honestly just like being able to hang out with you.” She offered him a soft smile, “I know of a couple of really nice bars, low-key, very quiet.”

“I’ll come to your apartment and we can take a cab, might be easier?” Amber flashed behind thick lashes, confidence masking the flicker of uncertainty in his question, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn’t feel awkward about the suggestion.

“Yeah that would be great. When are you free?”

“This Saturday? I’ll need to check a few things but it should be okay.” Gladio checked his watch, heart sinking as he realised that Nell’s lunch break was drawing to an end.

Nell noticed his crestfallen face and looked at her own watch. “Ah.” She gathered her rubbish together and moved past him to toss her rubbish into the bin, feeling rust eyes follow her as she went to the tall bookcase in her homemade reading corner.

“You like poetry, right?” Nell asked.

“I do. Whatcha got there?” He rose from his seated position and approached her, admiring the way her tweed pencil skirt and chiffon blouse hugged her body. He stood behind her and positioned his head above her right shoulder to get a better look at the book she was holding, not in the least surprised to see it covered with sticky notes. He placed his hands on her hips as he read aloud.

“You are always new. The last of your kisses was even the sweetest; the last smile the brightest; the last movement the gracefullest…”

Nell closed her eyes at the sound of his gravelly timbre, feeling his voice rumble in his chest as she pressed her back into him, the desire to feel him close too much to bear; his warm breath caressed her ear, a gentle breeze on a summer’s day.

“You read Keats so beautifully” she whispered, turning her head to bring her flint eyes to meet his, sparking bright fire within them. He brought his lips to meet hers, brushing them lightly across; his hands came up to take the book from her, closing it within her smaller hands before softly taking it.

“D’you mind if I take this? I’ll bring it back on Saturday.”

“Not at all” she smiled, turning around so she was facing him, even in her court shoes she still had to tilt her head slightly to meet his gaze. Gods, how Gladio loved those eyes; pools of swirling fog that he could quite easily lose himself in for hours, flecked with specks of light that glinted like stars, guiding lights that shone through thinning mist guiding weary souls to safety. Home. He pressed his forehead lightly against hers, clearing his throat gently.

“I’d better go”

Nell flicked her eyes to the clock on the wall, disappointment bubbling in the pit of her stomach; another seven minutes and her next class would be arriving. She let out a frustrated groan.

“Fastest forty-five minutes of the day…”

Gladio brought his hand up to her cheek, thumb caressing the peach-soft skin.

“I’ll see if I can sneak away from work on Thursday to bring you lunch.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I don’t wanna get you into trouble.”

He moved his hands down her shoulders and rested them on her arms.

“You won’t get me into trouble, babe.”

Nell’s skin exploded into microscopic hills, hairs standing to attention at his new term of endearment as a rose bloomed on each of her cheeks, holding his honeyed stare for as long as she could, she stammered. “Honestly… y-you don’t have to… I can wait until Saturday.”

“You might be able to,” he punctuated his words with a kiss. “But I sure as hell can’t.” He dropped his hands from their position on her arms and walked back towards her desk, clearing the rubbish away and picking up his backpack, the sound of chatter growing outside the ajar classroom door. “That’s my cue” he turned to look back at her one final time as his hand settled on the door handle. “Seven o’clock okay for Saturday?”

Nell nodded, making her way over to her desk to prepare for the students entering the classroom. She returned Gladio’s warm smile despite hating seeing him go. “Yeah, that’s fine.” The door opened, fully releasing the corridor ambience into the classroom, the noise piercing through the lunchtime quiet and reverberating around the room. Nell could just make out Gladio’s words as he waved to her from the corridor before he left.

“I’ll call you tonight!”


	8. 8 (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut ahoy!

Gladio climbed the stairs to Nell’s apartment, checking over his appearance in the large leaded windows as he passed, his deep red dress shirt unbuttoned just enough to reveal the dark ink on his chest and thin veil of hair that stopped just below his collar bone; he felt around the back, checking that it was still tucked into his dark wash jeans as he walked up the last few stairs, knocking swiftly on the apartment door. The first thing Nell noticed upon opening the door was how impeccably co-ordinated his deep tan desert boots and belt were and the way his rolled up sleeves accentuated his toned forearms, the second thing was how damn good he smelled as he leaned forward to place a kiss on her cheek.

“Wow…” he whistled as he pulled away. “You look gorgeous, babe.”

“It’s not too much?”

Gladio traced the silhouette of her figure with fervent eyes, the halterneck design exposing her exquisite decolletage and the sarong style pencil dress accentuating her narrow waist and sinful hips. Her hair was down in beachy waves, pinned up on one side with a white hibiscus flower, the accessory matching perfectly with the tropical print of the dress. “You’re the pin-up goddess of my dreams, babe” he flashed her a cheeky grin as she moved aside to let him into the apartment, closing the door behind him. Gladio followed the length of the corridor into the lamp-lit lounge, perching himself on the arm of the couch, he looked around the room taking in her apartment as Nell busied herself in the kitchen.

“I didn’t know you were such a plant girl” he called to her above the noise of a cocktail shaker, touching the leaves of the fern closest to him as he waited for her response. He didn’t receive it until she re-appeared into the living room with a glass in each hand, passing it to him as she settled herself in the armchair opposite.

“They brighten the place up” she shrugged as she took a drawn out sip from her drink.

“I think it looks great.” He studied the drink Nell had passed him, “cocktail?”

“Mojito” she clarified. “Figured it would kickstart the evening and it’s generally a safe bet as far as drinks go. Also, I didn’t wanna put you through drinking a Cosmo out of a girly glass.”

“I could totally make it work” he teased, sipping the cool liquid. “Although, you make a damn good mojito” he checked his watch casually, meeting pewter eyes as he brought his gaze up from the watch-face. “I booked our cab for seven-twenty.”

Nell drained the rest of her glass and rose from the armchair, the kick of the rum giving her the confidence to add a little wiggle into her walk as she went to the kitchen to put her glass into the sink. She felt fiery eyes hanging onto her every move, watching as her hips sashayed from side to side; she wasn’t entirely sure whether it was a side effect of the alcohol or not, but Nell was certain of one thing - she felt good. She came back to Gladio finishing off his drink, amber flicking up greet silver he placed his empty glass down onto the side table and motioned to Nell for her to come over, pulling her onto his lap side-on as she approached earning him a surprised squeal. He buried his face into her exposed neck, lips ghosting across porcelain skin that was softer than the finest rose petals in all of Eos, inhaling honeyed peach and freesia blossoms that melted into dark osmanthus, cocoa and vanilla - she smelled of sensual sin and Gladio was living for it.

“Pretty sure you’re tryin’ to kill me” he growled softly, nuzzling the smooth skin of her neck. “You can’t wear a dress like that and smell that good when we’re going out in public.” Nell’s cheeks and chest bloomed as the onslaught on her senses continued, Gladio’s stubbled jaw combined with his hot breath felt like a symphony against her silky neck. His aftershave unfurled akin to the wings on his arms, citrussey at first unfurling into a heart of cinnamon and cloves and punctuated with vanilla, vetiver, sandalwood and cedarwood - pure masculinity at its core with a magnetism Nell could not evade. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down onto her lips; Gladio’s hands found themselves running along her smooth legs, breaching the fabric of her dress that stopped just below her knee before retreating back down to her ankles. He moaned softly in her kiss, bringing his hand up to her waist to pull her into him, drunk on her affection and perfume, something he would never be able to get enough of. An interruption came in the form of Gladio’s phone vibrating in his jeans pocket, earning him a cocked eyebrow and coy grin from Nell to which he chuckled heartily in reply. “Hey! It’s not what you think.”

“Yeah… sure” she teased, her sinful smirk doing nothing to help Gladio’s increasing arousal; at this rate they wouldn’t even make it out of her damn apartment. She got up from his lap and took his glass into the kitchen, grabbing her bag off the dining table on the way back and watched him as he checked his phone.

“Cab’s here” he put his cell back into his pocket as he stood. “You ready to go, babe?”

Nell answered him from her position in front of the mirror as she adjusted her hair flower. “Sure. You’re gonna love this place, Gladio” she smiled as he put his arm around her waist walking with her towards her apartment door, opening it for her to let her out first offering her ass a cheeky pat as she passed him, a devilish grin on his lips. He offered her his hand as they walked down the stairs of her apartment building and out to their waiting taxi.

They pulled up at the end of a small street in a part of the city Gladio wasn’t a hundred percent familiar with; the street was quiet save for a few people making their way between bars. Lights were strung between buildings, illuminating the unassuming bar fronts.

“I honestly had no idea this was here” Gladio mused as they got out of the cab, taking Nell’s hand to help her. Nell’s eyes glinted as she replied.

“It’s Insomnia’s best kept secret.” She led him further down the street and into an old building that looked like it were no bigger than someone’s house. The inside was lit by the faint glow of edison bulbs and candles on every table, the stools at the bar, made of reclaimed metal and wood, stood proud but Nell had her eye on a quiet booth in the corner of the room. She waved at the bartender as they passed earning her a hello.

“How’s it going, Nellie?”

“Great thanks! Could we get a…” she looked to Gladio.

“Beer for me, please” he added.

“And a Cosmo? We’re going in that booth over there.” Nell smiled at the man behind the bar as she finished giving their order.

“Sure thing! It’ll be right over.”

They shuffled onto the benches, sitting opposite each other and instinctively took each other’s hands from across the table, soft latin-vibe music filtering through the speakers.

“This place is awesome” Gladio mused, looking around the small room and admiring the various brightly coloured metalwork reptiles adorning the room. “Where abouts are we in the city?”

“We’re in what I affectionately call the ‘Lestallum Quarter’. There’s loads of bars and restaurants along here that do tapas and cocktails, has a real Lestallum vibe. There’s salsa clubs along here too where you can have a few drinks, do a bit of dancing.”

“Sounds like you’re a frequent visitor… thanks.” Gladio took his beer from the waiter, offering a grateful smile before returning his whiskey hues to Nell who was busy taking a sip from her Cosmopolitan.

“Thanks, Darius - perfect Cosmo, as always!” She brought her eyes back to Gladio who was awaiting her reply expectantly. “I -uh- yeah, I come down here quite a bit. Not many people know about it so it’s never overly busy, even on a Saturday night.”

“It’s great! And -uh- you kinda get the feeling that people just leave you to it.”

“Oh, definitely,” Nell replied as she fiddled with the twisted lime rind on her glass and smiled up at Gladio. “It’s definitely low-key and there’s never any trouble either, which means I feel totally safe whenever I’ve come down here on my own.”

“You come on your own?” Gladio’s browsed raised at her admission.

“Only sometimes. Mostly if I finish work really late and can’t be bothered to cook anything. I’ll stop by one of the tapas places down here, chow down with a cocktail and then head home.”

“You ever finish work late again you call me, okay?” Amber eyes held Nell’s own silvery hues, barely noticing the bowl of olives that had been placed between them by the bartender. “I’ll come and pick you up and we could get food together, I’m not havin’ you goin’ around the city late at night on your own.”

“Honestly, Gladio, I’m fine, it’s not far to the subway station and it’s all well-lit.”

He shook his head, burnt umber locks swishing about his face, mouth turned slightly down and brows knitting together. “Nope. Not happenin’.”

“Gladio!” Nell laughed at the absurdity of his reaction. “What’s the big deal?”

“You’re not walkin’ around the city at night on your own. Not while I’m around.” He rubbed circles with his thumb on her hand which was enveloped within his own, sincerity housed within carnelian, it was a look of a man whose mind would not be swayed.

“Okay” Nell replied softly, acknowledging that this was not an argument she was going to win. “Okay.”

“I just care about you” Gladio’s voice went uncharacteristically quiet, his grip on Nell’s hand increasing a fraction. “Can’t stand the thought of you not bein’ safe.”

“I know, Gladio” she brought her voice down to match Gladio’s, quiet and small, placing her free hand on top of his, offering unspoken reassurances with a gentle touch and soft eyes. “And I’m thankful, really.”

He brought her hand that he was holding up to his lips, painting it with a delicate kiss before releasing it altogether and draining his beer, catching the eye of the bartender and signalling for two more drinks to be brought over. They spent the next part of their evening engaging in easy conversation, alcohol flowing freely and laughter rippling through the air; touches lingered and glances became emboldened by the blazing flames of their desire. In the ceaseless hustle and bustle of Insomnia, that quiet bar provided a safe haven for them, a place where they could allow themselves to be just Gladio & Nell, away from the prying eyes of the high society of Insomnia where Gladio’s every move would be the topic of conversation. Here, in their intimately lit booth, Gladio didn’t have to think about being the Prince’s shield, there was no expectation of him from Nell, under her smokey gaze he was free to be Gladio Amicitia, a regular twenty-something guy and that was a gift she gave him without ever having any knowledge of it. He watched as she drank the last of her cocktail, meeting her eyes as she put the glass down on the table.

“Ready to move onto the next place?” she asked to which Gladio replied with a nod, shuffling out of the small booth.

He followed her as she led the way out of the bar and back into the street, waving to the bartender as they went. The street was busier now, music and singing filled the air and for a split second Gladio forgot that they were in the middle of Insomnia. His eyes wandered down Nell’s body as he looked at her from behind, admiring the curve of her ass in the dress she was wearing; that dress that he so desperately wanted to see on her bedroom floor. She led him past a building that was alive with music, trumpets and drums entwined together to form a latin beat, the sound so delightful to her that she involuntarily began to move her hips, wiggling them to the beat as she walked with a look of pure joy on her face.

Gladio grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, turning her so she was facing him. “You wanna go in there?” he asked. Nell blushed with realisation, her flushed complexion illuminated by the string lights in the street.

“N-no, it’s okay, there’s -uh- another bar just down here.” She went to move off but found herself being pulled, more insistently this time, towards the entrance and into the building.

He steered her towards the bar, offering her the one remaining barstool and standing to the side of her; he caught the attention of the bartender and ordered two of something that Nell couldn’t quite make out, she shot him a puzzled look which he returned in earnest with a devilish grin. Her eyes widened with realisation as two shot glasses filled with clear liquid were placed in front of them.

“That’s not…” she paused as two wedges of lime were placed on a plate, along with salt, next to the glasses. “You’re a bad, bad man” she groaned, picking up the small glass between her fingers, Gladio mirroring the action. She dampened the back of her free hand with her tongue and sprinkled the coarse salt on the area, picking up the lime wedge in anticipation.

“You ready?” Gladio asked, firing a wink in her direction. He raised his shot glass to her to which she brought her own to meet it with a soft clink. They liked the salt off the back of their hand in unison before slamming the liquid down their throats, Nell almost choking as the tequila burned her throat. She shoved the lime quickly into her mouth, sucking hard to eliminate the taste of the shot in her mouth causing Gladio to laugh at her as she shook her head furiously. Relief came in the form of another Cosmopolitan being placed in front of her of which she took a grateful sip throwing Gladio a fake glare from over her glass.

“You’re an asshole” her pout cut off by the feeling of chapped lips against her own and a large hand finding refuge amongst copper waves, his body pressing insistently against her own.

He pulled his lips away from her mouth and brought them to her ear, grazing against the lobe as he whispered to her, “you wanna dance?”

Nell cocked a brow at him, “you can salsa?”

“A little.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her gently from the bar stool, his other hand finding a resting place at her waist to guide her body closer to his. He started with a basic salsa step, Nell able to follow along with ease her hips moving perfectly in time to the music, he tried his hand at an overarm turn with Nell picking up on his subtle cue perfectly.

“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?” he smirked at her as she completed another turn with ease.

“You could say that, yeah” she flashed him a naughty grin causing him to pull her body into his, feeling his jeans constrict slightly as her hips moved across him, the hand he had at her waist sinking down to rest on her ass. He gulped as her hips rolled forward into him, becoming all too aware of his overwhelming need to get her home, bringing his lips down to her ear he gave her a warning.

“You’re playin’ a very dangerous game here, babe.”

She brought her silvery eyes to meet the fire in his, tempered by his lust and desire, they shone in the low-lighting of the club. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He dipped her down before bringing her sharply back up, never once missing a step, his voice growling in his chest.

“You do.” He spun her so that her back was flush against his chest, hands roaming all over her hips and waist - shaped like the finest hourglass he’d ever seen. She reciprocated his touch with movements of her own, hips swaying like a metronome, her ass moving against him sinfully. His buried his face into her neck and shoulder, dragging his lips against the ivory of her skin, stubbled jaw pricking the creamy surface leaving the faintest flush of a trace behind. “You’re drivin’ me fuckin’ crazy and you know it.” His tone was low, almost dangerous, the tone of a man reaching the outer fringes of his own self-control. “D’you have any idea how much I’ve wanted you? How much I’ve wanted to…”

Nell turned around to face him once more, flint eyes ablaze with fiery lust she captured his mouth in a searing kiss. “So take me home.” Gladio wrapped his large hand around her arm and guided her out of the club and into the cold night air, their faces burning with a cocktail of desire and intoxication. He flagged down the first available taxi, the pair of them practically throwing themselves into the back of it, only pulling his lips away from Nell’s to give her apartment address to the driver.

***

They stumbled through the front door of the apartment, Gladio kicking the door shut behind him as he guided Nell down the hallway using his muscular frame, lips never parting. His tongue danced inside her mouth, revelling in the sweetness of the cocktails still on her taste buds, moaning as he felt resistance from her tongue against his own, a surprised hum turning into a primal growl as she pushed him into the wall. “Fuck…” he hissed as her hands found their way into umber locks, tugging at the strands as she took his bottom lip between her teeth.

He reached around to the zipper on the back of her dress, pulling it all the way down and pushing the straps from her shoulders so they fell about her arms, eyes devouring her figure as she wiggled out of the fabric leaving it in a puddle on the floor. His large hands travelled down her back to cup her ass; Nell shrieked as he hoisted her up and instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, hands still tangled in the long strands of his hair. He nipped at the crepe-like flesh of her neck, blood blooming like a rose beneath the skin, working his way up to her earlobe which he took between his teeth and pulled gently, feeling Nell arch her back at the action. “Bedroom?” He breathed in between marking her neck, trailing nips and kisses down to her heaving chest and along her clavicle.

“Behind you.”

Gladio carried her through the half open door, kicking it fully open as he went. Nell thanked the past version of herself for both making the bed and leaving the bedside lamp on before she left. She began to make work of the buttons on Gladio’s dress shirt, revealing more of his chiselled physique with every button she undone, eyes feasting on the pure perfection that was his body. Gladio laid Nell down on her bed, shrugging off the deep red shirt that was presently offending him and raking his eyes over Nell’s alabaster skin, undressing her of her underwear with his gaze. He climbed on top of her, caging her in with his much larger muscular frame, his arms resting either side of her head as he kept himself propped up on them, straddling her with a leg on each side of her hips, his arousal dangerously close to Nell’s warmth.

He crashed his lips down onto Nell’s, massaging them with ferocious purpose, claiming them, and her, as his own. She whimpered into his mouth as his hand trailed slowly down her ribs, causing tiny peaks to form on her skin as she writhed under his touch. Gladio persisted until he reached the waistband of her underwear, pawing at it gently as burning amber met silver, only breaching the fabric upon receiving a nod of approval from Nell. His fingers brushed against her entrance, collecting the sweet slick that had begun to collect there, trailing it up to her sensitive bud and rubbing small circles with featherlight touches forcing a delicious moan to escape from Nell’s kiss-swollen lips.

Gladio latched his lips onto her clavicle, teeth grazing against the delicate flesh as he continued to stimulate her clit, smiling into her skin as her breathing became more erratic and her chest heaved beneath him. “Lose the bra” he commanded, nipping at the top of Nell’s breast as she arched her back and moved her arms behind her to unclasp the offending article in question, tossing it with complete disregard across the room. Gladio raised himself above Nell so he was kneeling over her, eyes surveying her heaving chest hungrily, a small smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth as he eyed her large breasts.

“Perfect”

He maintained eye contact with her as he unbuckled the dark tan leather belt looped through his jeans and unbuttoned them, briefly standing to remove them from his body before reaching down and pulling Nell’s panties down her legs to drop them in the same pile as his jeans. He resumed his position on top of her and placed his hand back in between Nell’s legs, fingers dipping into her velvet warmth to bring her nectar up to the bundle of nerves he’d been working on. A sinful moan drifted from parted lips as Nell’s eyes fluttered closed at the sensation between her legs, Gladio varying speeds and pressure to bring her to dizzying heights.

He slipped a finger inside her, slowly pumping in and out before increasing the rhythm and adding a second finger, working her into a frenzy of gasps and moans - a symphony all of his own design. He watched with a smirk as she arched her back under his ministrations, head delving into the mattress and hips jutting upwards. He laved his tongue over one of her hard nipples, rolling it gently between his teeth and sucking on the pebbled flesh, dragging his mouth down her breast and onto her stomach, petals blooming on her skin underneath his teeth. He slowly, tortuously trailed his tongue to her hip and across to below her navel, dangerously close to where his fingers were diligently working her and shuffled down slightly, giving himself access to that little button he knew would drive her wild. Gladio’s eyes burned behind thick lashes as he met Nell’s own wide stare, her breath stored in her chest in anticipation of his next move.

He dragged his tongue against her wet slit achingly slow and watched as pools of silver disappeared into the back of her head, his name floating from her mouth on the ragged exhale of her breath. He grinned into her pussy, safe in the knowledge that he had her exactly where he wanted her, and knowing that soon she would be chanting his name like an unholy prayer. He lapped at her warmth, circling his tongue assiduously across her swollen clit, fingers still pumping in and out of her at an unrelenting pace, Nell’s moans hung in the air all around him as he worked her to her peak, walls closing in on his fingers, the faintest of flutters. Nell felt the spring coil in her stomach and braced herself for it’s release, she was more than ready to unravel at the hands of the man in between her legs.

But the feeling never came, only the friction of his stubble against her sensitive skin remained. She whined as the sensations at her dripping core ceased into nothingness, her eyes opening to the sight of Gladio unsheathing his throbbing cock, head glistening with his arousal. She watched intently as he pumped his shaft, taking her bottom lip between her teeth and releasing it again as his eyes burned like hot coals.

“Get on your hands and knees for me, baby” he purred. “You’ve been teasin’ me all night with that beautiful ass of yours, I wanna look at it while I fuck you.” Nell was only too happy to oblige as she turned herself over and backed up towards the edge of the bed where Gladio was waiting for her. She felt a large hand grip the soft padding at her hips pulling her back towards his expectant cock, gasping as the head breached her slit and stretched her to her very limits. Gladio stilled, allowing Nell to adjust to his girth, before slowly pulling her onto him until finally he bottomed out with a groan. He moved his hands to the base of her waist as he drew back slowly and pushed himself back in, a low growl vibrating in his chest as debauched sounds tumbled from Nell’s lips.

“Fuckkkk… Gladio…”

“You okay, babe? It feel good?”

“Mhmm. Harder, Gladio. Fuck me harder.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

He slammed his hips into her ass, continuing at an unholy pace, the sound of sex filling the apartment as Nell’s screams of pleasure encouraged him to keep going. He looped his arm around her waist, using the extra leverage to pull her further onto him, curses tumbled out of his mouth at the feeling of her around him.

“You feel so fuckin’ good, Nellie. Astrals…”

Nell cried out as he bucked his hips into her, his head grazing that sweet spot that made her eyes disappear into the back of her head. He pulled her up so she remained on her knees but with her back pressed against his tacky chest, mouth finding refuge in the crook of her neck and fingers finding that delicious button that made her sing for him while the other hand grasped at a pillowy breast. Sweat beaded on his brow, his exertion leaving him in strangled grunts while Nell slowly unravelled for him, her velveteen walls twitching ever so slightly against his throbbing cock.

“Gladio… I…” she panted.

“Are you gonna come for me, baby? Are you gonna sing for me?” he rubbed her clit furiously as he continued to pound into her, her moans increasing in intensity for his effort. “I can’t wait to hear you let go…”

Nell closed her eyes as the fire pooled in her abdomen, each of Gladio’s thrusts hitting that raised spot inside of her fanned the flames, dousing it in gasoline until it reached it’s fever pitch, an explosion from her core that had her crying out and seeing stars. Gladio held her up with a strong arm as she unravelled for him, his name tumbled from her lips, sinful yet divine.

“Gladio…”

He maintained his pace, chasing his own orgasm as he fucked Nell through her own, his thrusts becoming increasingly erratic and his breathing laboured. He buried his face into her neck as the taut string inside of him snapped, curses spilling from his mouth as he emptied himself inside of her.

“Fuck… Nell…”

He withdrew from her and wrapped his arms around her torso, pressing soft kisses to the nape of her neck. Nell pulled away from him and climbed under the duvet, pulling back the cover on the other side to invite Gladio to join her, something he was all too happy to indulge her in. He laid on his back and lifted his arm for her to slot herself beside him, her arm draping lazily across his abdomen as she rested her head on his chest, eyes slowly closing to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Idle fingers grazed across her ribs, her skin flourishing with dots at the sensation, she sighed and nuzzled further into him, a small smile forming on her plump lips.

“You okay, doll?” Gladio’s voice, although quiet, rumbled in his chest like a Couerl’s purr.

“Mhmm” Gladio chuckled at Nell’s tiny sleepy voice, her breathing heavy in the quiet of the room. “Gladio?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“Stay.”

He pulled her closer to him, hooking her leg over his own so she was almost laid on top of him, he pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead, fingers laced in her soft hair.

“Always.”


	9. 9

Raindrops tapped softly against the glass, rousing Gladio gently from his slumber; carnelian revealed behind thick lashes fell onto the valley of Nell’s waist, the skin like fine porcelain dimpled from the cold. He pulled the duvet further up her body, tucking wild strands of copper behind her ear so that he could see the small smile forming on her lips as she slept, her features graced with the childlike innocence that could only be obtained during peaceful slumber. The clock resting on the bedside table to his left taunted him with the knowledge that he would soon need to leave the comfort of the woman beside him, duty was calling. 

Torn between waking her to steal one last kiss before he left and leaving her to sleep in peace, Gladio heaved a sigh. He flicked his eyes up to the ceiling as he willed himself to leave the warmth of Nell’s bed; he’d been in this situation many times before, in fact, he was ashamed of how many times he’d awoken in a woman’s bed only to steal himself away before she could rouse, slipping out of the door and disappearing into the city like a ghost. It had always been almost too easy for him and yet, he found himself compelled to stay - it hurt to leave her. Gladio placed a tender kiss on Nell’s exposed shoulder, smiling sadly to himself as she stirred to pull the covers tighter around her but didn’t break sleep; he slowly got out of the bed and threw on last night’s clothes, grimacing as his phone fell out of his jeans and onto the wooden floor, his amber eyes drawn to the rustling coming from the bed.

“Gladio?” Nell’s voice was hoarse with sleep, barely above a whisper. Gladio moved towards her, kneeling down at the side of the bed to cup her face with his large hand, calloused fingertips moving gently across her cheek as he answered her with a whisper of his own.

“Hey, sorry I woke you.”

“S’okay.” She nuzzled her face further into his touch, eyes closing once more and breathing slowing again almost immediately.

“I’ve gotta go, babe.”

Nell hummed in acknowledgement of his voice but her eyes remained shut, breathing still slow and steady. Gladio kissed her forehead before moving his lips down to brush against the tip of her nose as he withdrew his hand from Nell’s face who stirred at the sudden disappearance of its warmth but quickly drifted back into peace. He got to his feet and crept to the bedroom door, looking back over his shoulder to the sleeping form, something he would never usually do in this situation, and finding himself struggling to tear himself away. He opened his mouth to speak, to say the words hanging on the tip of his tongue, stopping himself with a small shake of his head and a furrowed brow as he left the room and closed the door over behind him.

***

An uneasy feeling began to creep up on Nell in the few days since her last date with Gladio. Their communication seemed to plummet to the bare minimum level and Nell was certain that he wasn’t being entirely truthful with her when he said that he was really busy with work. She tried to tell herself it didn’t matter, but she couldn’t help that gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach, that feeling of regret. She’d heard things about Gladiolus Amicitia on the grapevine, that he was one of Insomnia’s most eligible and sought after bachelors and a bone fide playboy; Nell couldn’t help but feel like he’d played her for a fool and she cursed herself for giving it up too easily. She sat at her desk, half paying attention to the marking she was trying to work her way through and chewed at the end of her pen, annoyance flaring into anger the longer she paid it any mind. At first she’d told herself that she was just being needy, that she needed to just get over herself and accept that he was a very busy man who wouldn’t always have time for her, but after the third time of him making a weak sounding excuse as to why she couldn’t see him, she’d resigned herself to the fact that he was no longer interested now that he’d got what he wanted from her. The thought of him using her like that just to get her into bed made her eyes sting. Against her better judgement she dialled his number and pressed call, surprised to hear his gravelly voice appear on the end of the line.

“Hey”

“Hi” she tried her best to keep her tone level, desperate to not give anything away. “Look, I know you’ve been busy with work but I wondered if you’d have time for a lunch date this week? It feels like we’ve barely spoken since our date…”

“Uh…”

Nell rolled her eyes at the flakey excuse that was about to come from his mouth and took a sip of coffee, dropping her pen onto her desk in frustration as she waited for Gladio to continue.

“I’m uh… really swamped this week Nell, there’s a lot of stuff goin’ on with Noct…”

“So much stuff that you can’t even take a break for lunch?” Her voice wavered slightly, teetering on the edge before she managed to regain control.

“Maybe, I -uh- listen, Nellie. I gotta go, can I -uh- text you later or something?”

“Sure, Gladio. Whatever.” She pressed the end call button on the phone screen forcefully before tossing it into her desk drawer and rubbing her forehead. Was she being too needy? Or was there something else going on with him? Nell couldn’t tell but what she did know was that she was growing damn tired of it.

***

Iris glanced up from her position at the dining table, diverting her attention away from her homework to her older sibling who was busy doing one armed pushups; there was an uneasy silence in the room save for the soft grunts leaving Gladio’s mouth with each pushup and it didn’t sit well with her.

“Soooooo, how’s Nellie?”

“Fine.”

“You seeing her this week?”

“Not sure.”

Iris raised a brow at her brother as she tapped her pencil against the notebook she was studying from. Despite the question she asked Gladio, her tone was incredulous.

“You don’t know when you’re next seeing your girlfriend?”

“I don’t ever remember sayin’ she was my girlfriend.”

“So she’s not your girlfriend?”

Iris got up from her chair and sat cross-legged in front of Gladio, who didn’t move his gaze from the floor underneath him, and eyed him suspiciously as she waited for his answer.

“Gladio?”

“What?!”

“So she’s not your girlfriend?”

Gladio growled as he stood up, ignoring the younger Amicitia’s question for the second time and turning away to walk into the kitchen.

“Gladdy! Quit bein’ an ass and answer me! Are you not seeing Nell anymore? What in Ifrit is going on with you?” Iris followed him, refusing to take his silence for an answer. “Gladdy!”

“I don’t know, Iris!” Amber eyes flashed as he slammed his water bottle on the worktop, a deep sigh heaving from his chest as dark brows knitted together.

“What don’t you know?! Are you still seeing Nellie?”

“Yes… I mean… Gods, I’ve been an asshole.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve barely spoken to her all week.”

Iris put a gentle hand on her brother’s bicep as she coaxed him.

“Did you fight?”

“No… We uh…” He flashed his sister a shy look, a wordless gesture that answered all of her questions.

“Ah.”

“Yeah…”

Iris lifted herself up onto the kitchen island opposite to where Gladio stood, swinging her legs slightly as she surveyed him.

“Do you not think that maybe you should talk to her instead of, y’know, avoiding her?”

“Gods, I’ve handled this badly, huh?” he took a long sip from his water bottle, the cooling liquid repressing the tight feeling in his throat. “I think…”

“What?”

Gladio paused, pursing his lips together as he contemplated his next words before shaking the thought from his head once more.

“Nothing.”

“You wanna know what I think?” Amber met amber as the siblings’ eyes connected. “I think you need to tell her how you really feel.”


	10. 10

Air rushed through the station and whipped around Nell’s legs as the metro passed the platform at speed, the noise negated by the large over-ear headphones she wore on her head. She idly scrolled through her iPod as she waited for her train, running through a conversation in her head that hadn’t even happened yet, that might not even happen. Nell wasn’t quite sure what to expect once she’d arrived at the Citadel, knowing only that Gladio would be there waiting for her; his contact with her had improved slightly, although Nell would be lying if she said that she hadn’t been a little cagey with him and she was going into their meeting more than just a little guarded; still, she was more than willing to listen to what he had to say. She fired a quick message to let him know that she was at least on her way.

*On the Subway. Be there soon.*

She rested her head off the window and stared out into the blackness of the subway window, ignoring the vibration of her phone as Gladio’s reply came through.

*Great. See you soon, babe.*

The Citadel stood proud against the clouds, grey stone blending into an even grey-er sky, slightly glistening from the morning’s downpour. Nell surveyed the imposing structure as she approached the steps, her stomach knotting at the thought of entering on her own; she’d considered calling Gladio and asking if he could meet her outside so they could talk, but if the overcast sky was anything to go by, another bout of rain was due any second. She took her headphones off her ears and wrapped them around the back of her neck as she began her ascent up the stone staircase, flint eyes remaining fixed on the large doors ahead and barely noticing the thirty-something year old man dressed in black coming up alongside her.

“You okay there?”

Nell met the bright blue gaze of the man the voice had come from before flicking it down to the small tattoos on his face.

“I -uh- I’m meeting someone, in the entrance hall.”

“I’ll walk you up.”

“You don’t have to.” Nell’s face burned as the strikingly handsome man flashed her a grin.

“Can’t leave a pretty lady to walk in the Citadel unescorted, wouldn’t be much of a hero if I did.”

“Th-thank you.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it.” He returned the wave of another man stood outside of the doors who was shouting at him.

“Ulric! Quit tryin’ to pick up chicks while you’re on duty.”

“Don’t be jealous, Libs.”

His cheeky reply was met with a punch in the arm as they approached the man, who simply responded with a roll of his eyes.

“You’re a jackass.”

“And you’re bein’ rude. Open the door for the lady.” Ulric nodded his head towards the towering door and gestured for Nell to go in front of him as the other man held the door open. “Who did you say you were meetin’?”

“I didn’t. Gladio Amicitia?” Nell replied, eyes scanning the large room for a sign of him.

“Over there.” Ulric pointed towards the sweeping staircase and sure enough, there Gladio stood. Nell felt her stomach drop through the floor at the sight of him; surrounded by a group of about four women he was chatting with them animatedly, his huge arms folded across his broad chest, the black Crownsguard tank top leaving nothing to the imagination. Nell swallowed thickly as she observed from afar, unable to will her legs to carry themselves towards him; one of the women had her hand on his arm while she twirled her hair around the index finger of her other hand, laughing hysterically at something he’d said. Nell turned to speak to the men who had accompanied her into the Citadel only to discover that she was alone and as the women’s laughter echoed around the hall, Nell decided that she had seen and heard enough. She turned on her heels and exited the building, gasping for a breath she had no recollection of holding, her eyes stinging. Returning the headphones to her ears, she pushed her way through the Insomnian crowds as she tried to push Gladio Amicitia from her mind.

***

Gladio offered a half-hearted laugh to the latest batch of Crownsguard recruits who had taken it upon themselves to strike up a conversation with him whilst he waited for Nell to arrive. He inwardly cringed as the more brazen of the bunch placed her hand on his bicep and made a flirtatious comment but didn’t call her out on it, instead responding with a friendly smile as amber found themselves wandering towards the doors. He checked his watch as he half listened to the recruit with her hand on his arm ask if he was free at the weekend.

‘Ten past four.” He thought. ‘She’s late. It’s not like her to be late.’

Gladio clocked Libertus and Nyx appear from a side door into the entrance hall and made his excuses to the girls surrounding him.

“Sorry, ladies but I have somewhere I gotta be.”

He strode towards the two Glaives who were heading back outside.

“Hey! Ulric!”

“Oh hey, you meet up with your girl?”

“My girl?”

“Yeah, came in here to meet you. Auburn hair? Curves for days?”

“You saw Nellie? Nellie was here?” Gladio felt panic surge in his gut but kept his voice level as he continued to question the Glaive. “Where was she?”

“I saw her coming up the stairs, brought her in here and pointed to where you were standing. Figured she didn’t need me to chaperone her all the way across the entrance hall…” Nyx noted Gladio’s confused expression. “Wait, she didn’t come over?”

“I haven’t seen her… Fuck! And you definitely haven’t seen her since?”

“Sorry, bud.” Libertus replied with a small shrug of his shoulders.

Gladio rubbed the back of his neck with a large hand, a pained expression on his features as the realisation dawned on him.

“The girls…”

“Come again?” Nyx quirked a brow.

“The Crownsguard recruits collared me as I was waitin’ for Nell. I gotta go to her apart-”

“Gladio!”

Gladio was stopped in his tracks by the unmistakable voice of the Royal Advisor.

“Iggy, I gotta go-”

“You’re needed upstairs Gladio, we’re to attend a briefing meeting ahead of our journey to Altissia tomorrow.”

“Ignis, I can-”

“Now, Gladio.”

Gladio groaned as he looked down the street at the subway station and then back to Nyx who offered a sympathetic pat on the arm before heading down the stairs with Libertus. Gladio reluctantly turned to follow Ignis back into the Citadel, the unmistakable feeling of guilt clawing at his chest.

***

The apartment had never been as much as a safe haven as it was the moment Nell flung open the door and kicked off her converse, door slamming behind her as she dropped her bag onto the floor. She headed straight for the kitchen and poured herself a glass of Cleigne whiskey, draining the glass before she had the chance to find the colour of Gladio’s eyes in the liquid, her fist clenching the glass dangerously tight as she squeezed her eyes shut, banishing the tears that threatened to turn pewter irises into liquid mercury. A sob caught in her throat and slipped past her lips, floating out into the silence of the apartment and she chastised herself for being so stupid. So careless. Why did she ever think that she was anything to Gladio, that she could be anything? He could have any woman he wanted.

‘So why would he want me?’

Her cheeks glistened with the first tears like spring dew on blades of grass, rolling gently down her face before falling softly into the thicket of auburn waves. She abandoned her glass onto the worktop and sunk to the floor, sobs wracking her body as she brought her arms around her knees cursing the man for ever making her feel like he could have loved someone like her. Once a playboy, always a playboy.

Her phone vibrated to itself in the hallway as she wiped her face on her sleeve, a call she had absolutely zero intention of answering. She retrieved it from her bag to find a missed call and a voicemail from Gladio, ignoring both as she went to throw it on the couch only to be interrupted by it vibrating again in her hand. She pressed the busy button, cutting Gladio off as she tossed the phone onto the pouffe, tears resuming with renewed force. She may have caved before by allowing him into her bed, but she was not giving in - not this time. Wrapping herself in the blanket on the back of the armchair, she laid down on the couch, tears soaking the worn leather as she choked out each sob, the logical part of her brain that told her she was overreacting and telling her to hear him out was lost in the abyss of the hopelessness she was drowning in. What harm would it do to just hear what he had to say?

The ceaseless hum of her phone was deafening, taunting her with every phone call and text. Making her think of him; making her think of the night he’d shared her bed. There was no way she could sleep there tonight, she was certain that there was still a whisper of his aftershave lingering in the air, it hung around her bed. It was a source of comfort for her when she longed to have him beside her. Was. Now the thought made her chest tighten; she gripped the cushion she was holding tighter as her body convulsed with each of her cries, grip only loosening as she drifted into an uneasy slumber.

***

*Babe, I need to speak to you, call me when you get this.*

“Fuck.”

Gladio threw a fist at the punching bag, sighing as he watched it sway in front of him. He knew he should be resting ahead of the big trip in the morning but everytime he closed his eyes he saw flashes of silver and copper, his scent memory kicking in and surrounding him with honeyed peach and freesia. His attention was drawn to the basement door opening and heavy even steps coming down the stairway.

“You should be in bed, Gladio.”

A piercing blue gaze met amber as Clarus Amicitia approached his son.

“Couldn’t sleep.”

Clarus eyed Gladio striking the punching bag rhythmically, his silver brow furrowing. A distracted shield was of no use to anyone.

“You need to be sharp on this trip, Gladio. There won’t be anyone there to cover for you should your concentration slip.”

“I know, dad.”

“You can’t afford to have any distractions.”

“Dad, I got it. Heard ya the first time.” Gladio continued punching the bag, not making further eye contact with his father but could feel his narrowing eyes all over him.

“Gladio, this is a serious ass-”

“I know!” Gladio dropped his balled fists to his sides, his reply leaving him as a snarl. “I know how important it is. Protect the Prince and get him to Altissia in one piece.”

“It’s your duty, Gladiolus.” Clarus rested his hands on his son’s broad shoulders, those same shoulders that carried the weight of the Lucian line on them. The shoulders that had to carry so much at such a young age. Ocean hues met the sunset of Gladio’s eyes, “Iris has told me a lot about your young lady friend, she seems quite taken with her.”

Gladio laughed. “She’s only met her once.”

“She must have made quite an impression.”

“She does. She’s one hell of a woman.” Gladio smiled sadly at his father as he thought of Nell once more, resolving to leave her one final message before he had to leave for Altissia, a promise to himself - and to her - that he was deadly serious about their relationship. He wanted all of her. Clarus acknowledge his son’s smile with one of his own, leaving a gentle squeeze on Gladio’s shoulder as he turned to go back to bed.

“Don’t stay up too late, Gladio. We head to the Citadel just after dawn.”

“I’m headin’ up now, dad. I promise.”

Gladio watched his father leave the basement and head up the stairs, wiping the sweat from his brow as he reached for his phone. He tried calling one more time, throat constricting as it went to voicemail once more.

“Nellie, I wanted to talk to you before I left tomorrow but it doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen. I was a total dick to you and I’m sorry. You deserve better than that. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I guess I just freaked out - I -uh- I’m not used to this… This is kinda a new thing for me. I just need you to know how much I care about you and how much I… I need to see you. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks - please let me take you out to dinner so we can talk? Take care of yourself, babe. Stay safe.”


	11. 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fall and the Aftermath

Nell paced her classroom as her students worked silently, silver eyes finding their way to the windows to blink away the tears harboured there, threatening to spill at the mere thought of Gladio - her classroom not even a haven from his overbearing presence; he was all around her, woven into the pages of books and the lines of poetry. She stood in front of the bookcase, replaying his last voicemail in her head, lip trembling as she desperately tried to keep it together, to keep her guise from slipping. Better to fake it than fall apart. 

That was the problem.

Nell was walking along a knife edge; the mask she held in front of her face balanced as precariously as the rest of her with nothing but the deep howling abyss below. One false move and she would come tumbling down.

She sniffed and chased the thought from her mind. Breaking down was not an option- not when she had twenty-odd kids in her classroom. Unable to stand the silence any longer she cleared her throat and resumed her position at the front of the class, surveying her students with eyes that were glassier than she would have liked.

“Okay, class. You can put your pens down for a sec.”

She waited until she had their full attention before continuing.

“I probably don’t need to remind you that we have about eight weeks left before you sit your final exam and I just wanted you all to know…” She paused to allow the clawing in her throat to subside, swallowing hard to regain control. “I just wanted you all to know how proud I am of you. You’ve done everything I’ve asked of you and given it one-hundred and ten percent. We’re on the final straight now, I just need one more push-”

A loud noise threw Nell from her train of thought. Pewter eyes darted to the window. An explosion? She shook her head and returned her attention to the class dismissing it as being nothing.

“We’re almost there and I promise you, the relief you’ll feel once you-.”

The floor trembled beneath her feet as she spoke causing her to approach the glass tentatively, her students murmuring as she walked.

“Shh.”

She lifted her hand up, straining her ears to listen to the increasing noise outside.

“It sounds like fireworks,” a student near the back offered.

Nell gripped the window sill as the grim realisation dawned on her. “Those aren’t fireworks…”

The building shook violently, books tumbling from their home on the large shelf and the classroom erupting into terrified shouts.

“CALM!” Nell warned above the commotion, commanding the attention of the fearful faces in front of her. “Everyone needs to stay calm. I want you all to leave everything where it is, and follow me into the sports hall, okay? Stay close to me.”

She watched as her class nodded, the terror in their eyes growing as the noises swelled around them, the building trembling once more.

Nell shepherded her students through the panic-stricken corridors as plaster crumbled from the ceiling, the sound of alarmed screams and shouts almost deafening.

“STAY TOGETHER! KEEP MOVING!”

She gathered any and all students she came across, clustering them into her group and guiding them towards the safety of the sports hall, meeting her friend and fellow teacher, Adrian, along the way.

“Adrian! What the hell is going on?!”

Hands flew up to her ears as the air split around her with a thunderous crack, walls shuddering and wood splintering.

“NELLIE, WE HAVE TO GET THEM TO THE GYM!”

She pushed the rising fear back down and pressed on, leading the large group of teens into the gymnasium where the rest of the school had gathered - nearly two hundred faces, most of them tear-stained, all of them petrified. Nell approached the headteacher, hoping for some clue as to just what was happening.

“What are we dealing with here?”

“Earthquake.” Another teacher interjected.

“How do you explain the gunfire?” Nell snapped. “What the fuck is happening?”

“The Empire.” The headteacher confirmed solemnly. “We have been betrayed.”

Nell felt her blood freeze in her veins, her heart stopping while she processed the older man’s words. The world around her suspended, the bullets and shells drawing ever closer.

“We have to get them out of here. We have to get the children out.”

“And what do you propose we do?!” Another teacher spat. “Can’t you see?! We’re trapped!”

Nell paused for a moment as she calculated their next moves.

“We open the fire exits at the back, lead the students out and through the Old Quarter of the city. The explosions are coming from the Citadel, right? That means they’ve approached from the West. If we go out through the Old Quarter we’ll escape to the South but we have to move now, there’s not much time.” Nell’s flint eyes met the sienna stare of the headteacher who nodded.

“We stay here, we die. All of us.” He looked to his students, many of whom were now crying, holding onto each other as if they were each their only lifeline. “At least this way we give them a fighting chance.” He brought his eyes back up to meet Nell’s somberly. “Someone is going to have to stay behind to make sure everyone gets out.”

“I’ll stay, sir.”

“Not on your own, you won’t.”

“Adrian,” Nell reasoned. “It’s senseless us both staying-”

“I’m not leaving you. I can’t leave you behind.” Adrian took Nell’s hand and gave it a squeeze, a sad look in his ocean eyes. “You’d best get moving.” He added, addressing the others while motioning to the fire exit doors. “We maybe have fifteen minutes, tops.”

Outside, smoke blanketed the city. Buildings lay shattered and splintered like the bodies strewn about them. Desperate cries hung in the air on the back of explosions, a wordless plea for mercy defined only by a piercing shriek before being granted a swift execution at the hands of those that would betray the line of Lucis. Metal overpowered flesh, the weakness of humanity no match for the soulless Magitek army, the streets of Insomnia ravaged by blood and fire. The sky burst into flame, explosions that mirrored a thousand suns being detonated all at once as the city fell, the unstoppable tide of death pressing ever onward, swallowing homes and families whole before spitting out nothing more than ashes, rubble and acrid breath.

Insomnia was burning.

The Citadel crumbled, the wall waned, the King had fallen. A nation had been betrayed and all the best made plans were laid bare, barren and broken.

Nell held a young girl, no older than fourteen, close as the gymnasium crumbled around them. A direct hit shook the concrete right down to the very foundations. She stroked her hair as the teen quivered in her arms, whimpers leaving her in unstoppable floods, crippled by a fear that rendered her unable to move.

“It’s okay, sweetie. I got you. I got you. We’re going to get you out of here, okay?” She looked to Adrian who was seeing another batch of escapees out of the door. “Ade! We need to get her out. Now.”

Adrian raced across the hall, weaving through the fallen wreckage to reach Nell, dodging a falling beam as another explosion rocked the school. He took the young girl’s hand and guided her to the last remaining group waiting by the door.

A blinding flash and a deafening bang ripped through the gym as the sky opened up above them, screams stabbing the air and bleeding out into the war-fog outside. Adrian ushered the last group out of the door before turning to Nell as she searched what was left of the room for anyone left behind.

“NELLIE! WE GOTTA GO!”

“THERE’S STILL PEOPLE IN THE SCHOOL, ADE. WE HAVE TO HELP THEM!”

Adrian could barely hear Nell’s desperate pleas above the roar of flames and concrete tearing around splintering foundations, the screams outside of the gymnasium punctuated by gunfire before ceasing into nothingness.

“NELL, THE NIFS ARE EVERYWHERE. WE GOTTA LEAVE!”

He sprinted to Nell and grabbed her arm, hauling her towards the exit.

“NO!” She thrashed and flung her body back towards the corridors. “LET ME GO! WE HAVE TO SAVE THEM, ADE! WE CAN’T LEAVE THEM-NO!” Her words left her in pained howls as she struggled in Adrian’s grip, the room disintegrating around them at an alarming rate. “PLEASE! ADRIAN!”

He felt her go limp in his arms as she sobbed uncontrollably, lifting her up to keep her on her feet as her screaming intensified. He held her steady as he looked into her eyes.

“Nellie, listen to me. You can’t help them- there is nothing else you can do.” He wiped the streaming tears from her face as she whimpered. “We have to get out of here.” He looked towards the double doors leading to the corridors, fear gripping at his throat as Magitek soldiers swarmed behind them. “Nellie, I want you to take my hand, okay? Please. Take my hand and keep looking ahead. I want you to run, I want you to keep running until I tell you to stop, okay? Don’t look back, Nellie. You have to promise me you won’t look back, only forwards, okay? You think you can do that?”

Nell nodded her head shakily as she placed her clammy hand on Adrian’s larger palm, his fingers encasing it in a firm grip. He pulled her towards the exit, breaking into a run once they’d cleared the door. Nell kept pace with him as he dragged her through the ravaged streets, eyes stinging from the smoke and chest tightening with every step they took.

“DON’T LOOK BACK!”

Buildings crashed about them, forcing Adrian to find new paths through the debris, the exertion causing Nell to gasp wildly for air, her lungs fit to burst. He kept up an unrelenting pace, Nell stumbling behind him as her legs screamed and begged for relief.

“I can’t… I can’t breathe…” Nell clutched at her chest with her free hand, clawing at the flesh as she wheezed, desperately trying to get more air into her screaming lungs. She convinced herself in that moment that she wasn’t going to make it and considered letting go of Adrian’s hand. Better that he got out than them both ending up dead. Her mind was dragged back by the sound of Adrian’s shouting.

“UP AHEAD! We’re almost there! Come on, Nellie, please!”

Nell brought her eyes up from her feet to look directly in front of her; a clearing in the outer walls of the city leading to the world beyond. Just a little further. She willed her feet to keep carrying her and prayed that her lungs wouldn’t give out before then. Bullets whizzed past her ears as she sprinted towards the finish line- towards salvation.

Her grip loosened on Adrian’s hands as she stumbled forward, tripping on a piece of rubble not twenty meters away from the escape point. He turned to grab her, shoving her in front of him and fixing his hands on her back as he propelled her towards the exit, lurching as he did so, a pained cry leaving his lips.

Nell turned her head around at the noise, her own scream escaping her mouth at the sight of Adrian, face-down on the concrete, his raven hair covering the rest of his features. Blood seeped from the bullet wounds in his back. She stared at his lifeless body, her tears making tracks through the rubble dust on her cheeks - mouth widening in horror. Her knees threatened to buckle, the overwhelming desire to sink to the floor and weep over his corpse almost too tempting. It felt wrong to leave him.

He would never have left her behind.

She tore herself away from him, leaving his body in the crimson pool surrounded by ashes and dust. She blindly raced through the clearing in the wall, a distraught wail floating on a sharp breath, into the arms of the headteacher who bundled her onto the waiting bus. Nell slumped onto the chair as he instructed the driver to pull away.

“She’s the last of them.”

***

Caustic fog burned at Nell’s eyes and throat as she ran to the escape point dead ahead. She pushed through the overwhelming agony, her limbs threatening to give out at any moment. Ash and smoke closed in all around her, tendrils of flame reaching out to pull her into their suffocating embrace, to hold her there forevermore. Young faces appeared in the astringent fog, their hands outstretched towards her as their screams filled the air. Nell clamped her hands over her ears, unable to stand the torment of their pained cries, squeezing her eyes shut as she continued to press forward, willing herself to keep going.

She opened her eyes to see Adrian, bloodied and pale, laid on the floor in front of her, his arms reaching up to touch her. She lunged desperately to pull him to his feet, her hands achingly close to his own as she cried out.

“TAKE MY HANDS, ADRIAN!”

Their fingers connected and Nell snatched at his hands, the flesh crumbling to ashes and slipping between her fingers as she brought pewter hues up to survey him in horror. His skin cracked like over-baked clay, turning ashen and falling away from him in flakes, an agonising scream leaving his lips as he was whipped away by a hot gust of wind. Nell’s howls floated on the wind as she watched him disappear before her very eyes, until he was nothing.

She turned behind her to see soldiers closing in on her position and willed her legs to start moving once more, sprinting as fast as they would carry her towards the exit. On and on, yet never getting any closer.

Flesh met hot concrete as Nell tumbled to the ground, metal encircling her menacingly. Her lips parted to allow a torturous wail to escape as hands grabbed at her, her eyes flying open.

“Eleanor!”

The headmaster shook her gently, a hand on either shoulder as he roused her, her eyes flicking fearfully around.

“It’s alright. You’re safe now. You’re safe.”

He rubbed her arms in an attempt to soothe her as she shook uncontrollably, her sobs leaving her in pained gasps.

“I… cou… I couldn’t… s-save…”

“You saved so many, Eleanor. So many people are on these buses because of you!”

“It… it should… be Adrian on here…”

She covered her face with her hands as her body heaved with lamentation, her breath catching in her throat as she struggled to regain control of it.

“Adrian…”

An older student made her way down the bus and sat beside Nell, taking her in her arms to hold her through the pain.

“You saved my life, Miss Astrum. You saved all of us.”

***

Gladio stood by the large windows of the hotel room, looking out to a sky that mirrored the colour of Nell’s eyes. He folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, picturing the way her hair splayed out on the pillows during the night they’d shared together, or the way her nose would wrinkle in concentration as she read poetry. A bittersweet smile graced chapped lips as her voice filled his head.

His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening; he turned his head to see Ignis, a somber look on his face and a newspaper in his gloved hand. His grave disposition hadn’t gone unnoticed by the Prince.

“What’s that look for?”

Gladio approached Ignis and took the paper the tactician offered him, brows raising as Ignis spoke.

“It’s in all the papers.”

“What is?” Noctis called from by the bed.

Gladio walked back towards the windows with the paper in his hand, reading the headline in his head before reading it again. Prompto took position by his side, reading the writing aloud.

“Insomnia… falls?”

Confusion spread across Noctis’ face before settling into a look of panic. “Wha- is this your idea of a joke?” He marched across the hotel room with balled fists towards Ignis, who held his hands up in front of him.

“I need you to calm down so I can explain-”

“I’m as calm as I’m gonna get!” snapped Noctis who was almost nose to nose with Ignis.

“There was an attack. The Imperial army has taken the Crown City.”

Gladio ignored the conversation taking place behind him as he read the article on the front page, stomach sinking into the floor as his thoughts went straight to his father, to Iris and to Nell. He read the next line aloud for no one’s benefit in particular.

“As treaty room tempers flared, blasts lit the night sky. When the smoke about the Citadel had cleared, the King was found… dead.”

Gladio swallowed thickly as he understood his father’s fate. If the King was dead…

“What else do we know?” he asked Ignis. His silence was enough of a reply for Gladio to understand what they had to do. “Then we have to see it with our own eyes.”

He tossed the paper onto the coffee table and strode outside, eyes squeezing shut as he kept his tears at bay. He took his phone out of his pocket and dialled Nell’s number, waiting nervously as the line connected, then rang. And rang, until he reached the sound of Nell’s voice inviting him to leave her a message.

“Babe, call me when you get this.” He sniffed as his voice faltered. “I need to know that you’re… safe.”

He ended the call and waited outside for the others, feeling the raindrops kiss his tanned skin as he lifted his amber eyes skywards, praying to whichever Astral with the mercy to listen that Nell was still alive. But with each failed phone call to her that Gladio made, his hope of ever seeing her again waned and he was sure that he’d lost the only woman in his life that he’d ever loved.

***

The group drove from the wreckage that was Insomnia to the outpost at Hammerhead. Their plan was to meet up with Cor and find out exactly what had happened not twenty-four hours ago before heading to Lestallum where the youngest Amicitia had found refuge. Gladio called her from the caravan that would be his home for the night.

“Gladdy!”

“Nice of you to call your own brother,” he teased.

“I -uh- I just wanted to know if the reports were true… about Noct.”

“We’re all fine here.” Gladio tried his best to reassure her but was struggling to hide the worry in his voice. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, Gladdy. We got out right away.”

“Good.” Gladio paused, almost afraid to ask her his next question. “Have you seen or heard from Nellie?”

He was certain he heard Iris sniffle on the other end of the line.

“Ha-have you not seen the news, Gladdy?”

“Only what I’ve heard on the radio or read in the papers, why?”

“You… you just need to watch it.”

Her quiet weeping cut through Gladio as he pushed his own tears back down, walking towards the diner to borrow their TV.

“I’ll see you in a few days, Iris. Okay?”

“Wait! But I-!”

“Iris…” he warned, chest aching. “I’ll see you soon, ‘kay?”

“…Bye, Gladdy.”

He opened the diner door and sat at the barstool furthest away from the entrance, his carnelian eyes fixed on the television screen above the counter.

The scenes from inside Insomnia were grim, whole streets flattened and burning. The park where he first laid eyes on Nell was nothing more than a hollow, smouldering crater. Gladio’s chest tightening at the sight of the destruction within the city. He saw the camera pan towards the area near the school and asked the diner owner to turn up the volume on the tv.

“Among the worst affected areas of the attack was the South Side of the city, with Insomnia High suffering terrible damage during the onslaught. It is unlikely that anyone managed to make it out alive.”

Gladio slammed his fist on the countertop and rose from his seat, barging his way through the door and out into the night air, his throat constricting as he struggled to contain the sob dangerously close to escaping. He raised his watery hues to the night sky, counting the stars in the clearing between clouds to try and hold himself together, knowing that Nell was now among them - his worst fear realised. Silent drops rolled down a stubbled cheek, his chest heaving with grief.

Losing his father was something he’d prepared for, it was their duty to the crown as Amicitias to give their last breath for the line of Lucis. He knew what his father had signed up for, what he’d signed up for, his father’s death was ultimately nothing more than an execution of his duty - a role fulfilled. Clarus Amicitia would not have wanted his children to mourn for him and Gladio understood that when the time came, he would have to meet the same end. But even knowing all of this did little to comfort Gladio.

And then there was Nell; his beautiful, bright, shining star.

The wreckage of the school flashed before his eyes, drawing out more tears from his amber eyes, the rest following in an unbroken stream. He leaned forward, his hands resting on the hood of the Regalia, droplets falling onto the polished surface and rolling down the curve of the car until tumbling gently onto the dusty forecourt; the sobs were ripped from his chest, the pain coming in waves with pauses only for recovering breaths before he was hurtled back into the outstretched arms of his grief. He cried until he felt hollow, until he’d surrounded himself in pain’s embrace. There was so much he needed to tell her, so much more he wanted to say. The anger bubbled in his stomach, anger that he could only direct towards himself.

He was a man that tried to live without any regrets and a firm believer that there was only one shot at life - every second had to count. The reality for Gladio was that Nell would forevermore be his biggest regret and he would’ve traded everything to have been able to hold her once more. To tell her just how much she meant to him.

Gladio became aware of measured footsteps approaching behind him. Instinctively, the shutters came down. He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, clearing his throat as he regained composure - emotions walled off behind a mask of coping. A mask he would wear until everything was right again - if it was ever right again. He knew no other way.

He had no choice.


	12. 12 (mild NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mild NSFW

Fingers tousled strands of copper as a soft breath caressed parted lips and bodies writhed together in bliss; honeyed peaches and freesia weaved into the fabric of the bedsheets and the very air that hung about them, her scent a shroud that he would have gladly suffocated under. He rolled to pull her on top of him, her knees settling either side of his slender hips as he planted flowers with his lips on the pale skin of her hands, glacial tones settled amongst fog and a small smile played on his mouth as she bloomed for him; soft gasps wound into the sheets the same way that her fingers wound into his raven hair, his name never sounding so good as it did coming from Nell’s mouth, floating on a breathy moan into the ether. Slender fingers gripped at the soft padding at her hips and pulled insistently, a quiet plea for more of her that she was more than happy to oblige. Nell rolled her hips gently forward, her head tumbling backwards as he filled her.

“Adrian…”

At home on the curve of her waist, Adrian’s hands cradled the flesh tenderly, fingertips ghosting over creamy skin in complete reverence.

In her eyes he found starlight.

In her arms he found sanctuary.

Nell moved on top of him and eyed Adrian’s jaw as it tensed under her careful ministrations, feeling him buck into her in perfect synchrony. They worked together to unravel each other, a mutual ritual performed to perfection until they both cried out divine pleasure.

Riding the crest of her high, Nell settled her head on Adrian’s toned chest; nestled safely against the side of his body, with slender fingers tracing idly at her ribs she closed her eyes and inhaled him - sage and sea-salt with the undeniable musk of sex. His lips pressed against her temple as he mumbled into her hair.

“I love you, Nellie.”

She brought her hand up to his chest, fingernails mapping the gentle plain of his muscles - both strong and soft in equal measure. With closed eyes her mouth searched for his skin to place a tender bloom upon it.

Petal lips were met with ash.

She spluttered and choked, staring in consternation as the man beside her crumbled to dust. Hands snatched at him, a desperate endeavour to stop the process - to save him.

“NO!”

Nell’s scream was ripped from her throat, visceral and frenzied. She threw her eyes skyward as dust and ash slipped through her fingers, fat teardrops tumbling into the soot.

The air cracked around her violently and she squeezed her eyelids shut, gripping tightly onto the bed-sheets as she wailed in fear. A bright flash pulled Nell’s eyes back open, her breathing ragged. She flicked her gaze around the darkened room before settling it at the window, watching as raindrops streaked across the glass. Another blinding glare illuminated the room briefly before plunging it back into darkness, the rumble of thunder cutting through the silence and shaking the panes of the window. Her hand rubbed at her face as she sat up in bed, her cami clung to her back as stubbornly as the loose strands of hair stuck to the nape of her neck. A shaky sigh passed her lips as she got her bearings and soothed herself until she finally felt strong enough to get out of bed and cross the bedroom to the window.

She pressed her clammy forehead against the cold glass, swallowing thickly as she tried to repress the sudden onset of guilt that had began to claw at her insides. Why was it Adrian she’d dreamed about sharing her bed with? Why hadn’t it been Gladio? Anger flared momentarily as she thought of Gladio before it dissipated into nothingness. She couldn’t deny that he’d hurt her deeply, but he also made her heart stop and her head spin. Grey irises found the bleary street lights of Lestallum through the droplets on the glass, the skyline underlining the storm-clouds highlighted by occasional phosphorescent streaks across the charcoal coloured heavens. She wondered where he was, if he’d thought about her at all, if he’d found comfort in the bed of another. She shook that image from her head as quickly as it had appeared - that was the last thing she needed right now, especially since her subconscious mind had started to hijack her dreams. The swirling fog of confusion that clouded her mind was verging on sickening, the line between loving Adrian and her own loneliness was becoming increasingly indistinguishable with every dream she had about him and Nell found herself tying her mind up in knots. Was she actually in love with Adrian or was she in love with the idea of being in love with Adrian because of how lonely she felt? And in either case, what difference would it make? Adrian was dead, there was no changing that.

The word around Lestallum was that both Prince Noctis and the Oracle had perished during the attack, which surely would have secured Gladio’s fate; whether it was some deeply entrenched instinct within Nell or her own refusal to accept the fact that Gladio might also be dead, she couldn’t bring herself to believe the rumours - despite the fact she hadn’t seen nor heard from either Gladio or Iris. Nell padded to the kitchenette of her digs and poured herself a glass of water, sipping the refreshingly cool liquid slowly as she returned to the window. She opened it slightly to allow the crisp air into the stifling room, the cooling draft snaked around Nell and made her skin prickle as it glanced across her tacky skin. The storm had breathed life back into a suffocating Lestallum, the heat had smothered the town since Nell’s arrival a little under a week ago with the last forty-eight hours being particularly stifling. The air itself had become unbearably heavy as the heat reached its fever pitch, culminating in the violent thunderstorm that had raged on since late evening the day before. Nell returned to her bed, grimacing as she laid back down amongst dampened sheets. The rain lashing against the window and thunder rolling in the distance as the storm drifted South lulled her back into an uneasy slumber.

***

The sun cast a fiery glow over Lestallum as it edged towards the horizon, any trace of the storm from the night before long gone. Ignis had barely put the Regalia in park before Gladio had the car door open and was stretching his legs around the carpark. He pulled his phone out of his pants pocket and called Iris.

“Gladio!”

“Hey, Iris. We’re here, where we headed?”

“I’m at the Leville, go through the main square and keep going, you can’t miss it.”

“Alright, see you soon.”

“Bye Gladdy.”

Gladio turned to the others who were waiting by the car and nodded towards the staircase to the right.

“Iris is at the Leville, reckon we go up there?”

Ignis followed Gladio’s nod and surveyed the area. “I would imagine so, the main street was off the main road, the stairs should take us there. If we get really stuck we could always ask someone for directions.”

“Pfft” Gladio scoffed. “We don’t need to ask for directions.”

Prompto eyed Gladio incredulously. “You know where you’re goin’, big guy?”

“It can’t be that hard to find. Don’t go wanderin’ off, we can explore in the mornin’.” He threw a glance in Prompto and Noct’s direction, clearly aiming his warning towards them. “I don’t know about you guys but I am beat.”

***

The group entered the hotel through the double doors and waited casually in the foyer by the sweeping staircase leading up to the rooms. Prompto scanned the room with a furrowed brow.

“No sign of Iris”

“Maybe she doesn’t know we’re here?” offered Noctis with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

Quiet footsteps went unnoticed by the foursome as Iris made her way down the staircase.

“Gladdy!”

Gladio whipped his head round to see his sister near the bottom of the stairs, chest bursting with relief to see her safe and well.

“Iris!”

She bounded towards him with open arms, throwing herself at his broad chest. He wrapped his arms around her small frame and lifted her off the floor, holding her tightly against him and smiling into her hair.

“You’re staying here, right?” she asked nobody in particular.

Ignis responded on behalf of the group. “That’s the plan.”

Gladio put Iris down and rested his hands on her shoulders, two pairs of tired looking amber eyes meeting.

“When you have time, we have catching up to do.”

“Sure, follow me. I’ll show you where you’re sleeping.”

Iris led the men upstairs and down the hallway to their room; all except Gladio took a seat, who stood beside Iris with folded arms and a stoic expression on weary features. Noctis was the one to break the silence with the question that had been on everyone’s minds since Insomnia had fallen.

“So Iris, what was it like inside the Crown City?”

“Not pretty” she responded sadly. “The Citadel took a beating. But a lot of outlying neighbourhoods made it through in one piece” her attempt to lift the mood that had descended upon the group by lifting her tone fell flat.

“The Empire had tactical targets in mind.” Ignis sobered.

“You know if there’s anything else, you can ask me.” Iris might have directed her gesture towards Noctis, but Gladio couldn’t help but sense it may have been for his benefit too. She paused briefly, causing Noctis to shift uncomfortably in his seat.

“What?”

Iris cleared her throat gently. “About Lady Lunafreya, I keep hearing she was in town.” She noticed Noct’s wide eyed expression and soothed him immediately. “Apparently she left right away, but at least it means she’s okay.”

Relief washed over Noctis like a wave and he basked in its calming waters briefly before offering Iris is sincerest thanks. It didn’t change the fact that the King was dead, but it brought comfort to him to know that Luna was safe and well. Iris rose from her seat and turned to leave.

“Yeah well, get a good night’s rest.”

Gladio followed her to the door “I’ll walk you out.”

Iris turned to face her brother as he closed the door shut behind him, she knew what he was about to ask her and she couldn’t hide the solemn expression on her usually cheerful features.

“Have you…” his voice caught in his throat and he found himself unable to speak.

Iris squeezed her eyes shut to blink away the tears forming there and shook her head. “I haven’t seen her, Gladdy. I’m sorry.” She wrapped her small arms around the older Amicitia’s thick torso and held him as silent tears slipped from honey eyes.

“You should get some sleep, Gladdy” she mumbled into his chest. “You need to rest.”

Gladio pulled back from Iris and offered a sad smile. She spoke like a child who’d had to grow up all too quickly overnight and he couldn’t help but feel remorseful at the fact.

She didn’t deserve this.

None of them did.

He ruffled her hair, reminiscent of the way he would when they were younger, as he spoke. “I’m gonna take a walk for a bit before bed.”

“You want some company?”

“Nah. I need to just… I’ll catch you in the mornin’ for breakfast, okay?”

Iris surveyed him morosely but did not argue.

“Be careful!”

“You know I will. Now, go get yourself to bed.”

He watched her until she’d entered her room before heading down the stairs and out into the calescent night.

***

The stifling heat of the studio apartment had Nell clawing at the walls. She awoke early to damp sheets clinging to her naked frame and to the sound of a whirring fan on its last legs that did little more than circulate torrid air around an already stuffy room. She was currently perched on the windowsill in shorts and a bralet, half hanging out of the window in an attempt to feel any kind of breeze against her skin but to no avail, the sweat beaded on her brow before trickling down her face - salty tears cried from flaming skin. An icy shower would be her only hope to escape the overwhelming heat of Lestallum. She knew she would have to at least try to leave the apartment today. The thought of that alone was enough to make her claw at her throat.

Since arriving in Lestallum Nell had found it near impossible to leave the safe confines of her accommodation; every time she set foot outside of the door she drowned in an overwhelming sense of dread that she could not evade, no matter how hard she tried to tread the floods. To her dismay, the threat of an empty fridge had forced her hand and meant that she had to get out there and go to the marketplace to restock. Statistically Nell knew the odds of an attack happening in Lestallum were low and she’d tried her best to reason with the logical part of her mind that everything was okay and that she was safe, but whenever it came to actually stepping outside - well, that was a different ball game entirely.

And so she’d bundled herself away, living on the little food that had been left for her when she was housed in the apartment. Nell turned on the shower and set the temperature to as cold as it would go, shivering temporarily as the icy water shocked her skin before settling into a sensation that was much more pleasant, her eyes drifting closed as the water ran over her body and soothed away the flames.

Post-shower she surveyed her reflection in the small bathroom mirror. Her grazes and scratches on her arms and face were barely visible with some having healed entirely, the gash across her shoulder had faded to puce and while still angry-looking, would eventually heal on its own leaving nothing but a thin white line against already pale skin - a physical scar to add to the collection of psychological ones. She returned to her bedroom and pulled out a donated sundress from the small wardrobe in the apartment - there was something to be said about the generosity and hospitality of the people of Lestallum. Nell dried herself off the best that she could in the humidity of the room and got dressed, tugging the dress over a still slightly dampened body before piling her Auburn waves on top of her head in a messy bun. Her bag slung over her shoulder, Nell took the first tentative steps out of her apartment and along the balcony of the complex, gripping the stair rail as she willed herself to keep going despite the overwhelming fear threatening to take her legs out from underneath her. One shaky, uncertain step in front of the other like an Anak calf finding it’s feet, winding through the busy, sweltering streets towards the marketplace.

***

Gladio stood leaning against the wall with folded arms as Ignis and Prompto pushed their way around the stalls, preferring to keep out of the thick of it and observe from afar. They’d left the sleeping Prince at the Leville and Gladio would have been lying if he said he wasn’t just a little bit glad of the reprieve. He eyed the bar across the way hungrily; this kind of heat always made him want to kick back and relax with a cold beer. He thought about how much Nell would have liked it here, how much the carefree vibe would have suited her down to the ground and - gods - how he missed her. He swallowed the lump in his throat and lowered his eyes to his boots, blinking away the image of her that burned in front of his eyes. She was everywhere.

And nowhere.

She was the whisper of the breeze in his hair, the glimmering starlight in the sky and the blissful feeling of the sun’s warmth against tanned skin; but she was also the empty coldness that he felt beside him every night and the deadweight feeling on his chest.

Everywhere and nowhere.

Whiskey tones scanned the busy market, lingering a little too long on happy, smiling couples as they laughed and joked together and feeling nothing but bitterness in his heart. He flicked his gaze across to the veggie stall, trying to track the tall tawny haired man and the shorter blonde he’d come with but found it almost impossible to pick them out in the throng of bodies around the stalls. His restlessness getting the better of him, Gladio decided to explore the rest of the town on his own. Sending Ignis a quick message to let him know he’d meet them back at the Leville, Gladio set out across the square towards the fountain in the centre of Lestallum.

Music met Gladio as he ventured further into the centre of town, a smile creeping across chapped lips as the image of Nell dancing flashed across his mind and transported him back to her apartment. He was stood with a towel wrapped about his waist watching her prepare breakfast in the kitchen, her hips moving in perfect time to a strong latin-beat as she chopped tomatoes and an onion for his post-run omelette. He’d snake his arms around her middle and rest his chin on her shoulder as she worked, twirling her occasionally and indulging her in some bachata as the eggs cooked in the pan. He re-opened amber eyes he hadn’t realised he’d closed, pupils adjusting to the blazing sunlight before settling on the alleyway opposite.

Shining russet gleamed under mid-morning sunshine as it passed through Gladio’s field of view, pulling his focus to its source. He watched the figure move with a familiar gait, eyes flicking from the messy copper strands piled on top of her head and down her neck to her upper back. His throat tightened at the sight of a tattoo that could only belong to one woman.

“Nellie” he breathed as he took purposeful strides towards her.

“NELLIE!”

She whipped her head round, mouth open in surprise, towards the source of the deep gravelly tone that was too familiar sounding to belong to a stranger. Silver settled on a muscular frame and took all of him in - leather, burnt umber and amber - eyes turned to mercury as she broke into a run towards his outstretched arms, a stifled sob clinging to her lips. Every step towards him was like a life-giving breath, all the weight she’d been carrying in her heart disappeared with each footfall and carried her closer to the safety of his arms, surging forward like a tidal wave until she crashed into his waiting and accepting embrace. He received her body like it was a gift from the Astrals themselves, encircling her with a loving touch and cradling her tightly for fear Shiva herself would descend upon him and take her from him back up to the heavens, for she was a being too celestial to walk amongst mere mortals like him. He buried his face into soft, titian strands of hair and allowed his tears to tumble into them as he pushed the wracking sob brewing in his chest and creeping into his throat back down.

“I thought I’d lost you, babe. I didn’t think you made it out…”

His fingers on his right hand weaved into her hair and clutched at it gently while his left hand remained glued around her waist, holding her as close to him as he could get her and breathing her in like she was oxygen. He finally pulled away far enough to map her face with a honeyed whiskey stare, revisiting those hues that glinted like grey moonstone and memorising every fleck of pewter and starlight harboured within them. Fingers released tousled locks and rested against her petal soft cheeks, caressing the tear-streaked skin as he crashed his lips into hers, murmuring into her mouth between kisses.

“I’m so sorry, Nellie. I was an idiot. I love you. Gods. I love you.”


	13. 13

Gladio stood in the middle of the studio apartment as Nell closed the door behind them before grabbing two cold bottles of water from the fridge. Gladio received his gratefully as he watched her walk the short distance to her bed and settle herself, cross-legged, against the headboard. He moved to join her, opting to sit side on with his long legs stretched out in front of him and surveyed her with worried eyes. She fiddled silently with the label on her water bottle, doing everything possible to avoid his gaze and an unwanted conversation about what happened between them, the initial shock and joy of seeing him again dissipating into something resembling bitterness. One thing was perfectly clear to Gladio, though.

She was a husk of her former self.

The Fall changed her.

Knowing full well that Nell wasn’t going to be the one to speak first, Gladio took the tentative step to break the uncomfortable silence.

“I missed you, babe.”

“Did you?”

There was nothing hopeful about Nell’s tone. Instead, she sibilated the words at him like an aggravated snake, hurt eyes flashing in his direction to tug at his heart. And who could blame her? Deep down, Gladio knew he deserved every bit of this.

“Of course I did.”

He kept his voice low and soft, filled with the genuine love he had for her.

“I handled things badly, Nellie. I know that.” He paused briefly to invite her to speak but was met with nothing but silence and her avoiding eyes. “I tried to run from my feelings instead of tellin’ you that-”

“Telling me what? That you love me?”

“Baby…”

“No, Gladio! No! You don’t get to call me that.” Nell’s voice shook with her temper as she fired him a resentful look through watery eyes. “You don’t get to avoid me for weeks after we slept together and then pick things up after everything that’s happened as if it’s all fine. It’s not okay, Gladio.”

“I didn’t expec-”

Nell got up from the bed with balled fists and stormed past him.

“WHAT DID YOU EXPECT THEN?”

“I DON’T KNOW!”

Gladio rose from his seated position at the end of the bed and followed Nell, grabbing her gently by the wrist and turning her to face him, his hands resting firmly against her upper arms.

“Let go of me. Now.” She warned, her voice eerily calm and low but with all the deadly intent of a cornered viper.

“Nellie, I’m not going to do that. I need you to hear me.”

“I’m done. We’re done. I owe you nothing. You come into my life, make me believe that you care and then toss me to one side without so much as an explanation once you got what you wanted from me. I’d heard things about you. I had people warning me not to get too close to you, that your reputation wasn’t just idle gossip. I knew all of that and I still chose to trust you. I chose to believe that it wasn’t true, that it was all a bunch of lies and that they just didn’t know the real you and that I was special enough to get to see it. I saw you with those women at the Citadel, Gladio. I saw the way they were looking at you, the way you were all joking together. Let’s face it, they’re far more your type than I’ll ever be. But do you know what I hate more than being wrong about someone? It’s being used. Now, let.. Me.. Go…”

Gladio bored his honey eyes into her steely irises, her uncanny stillness unsettling; he was caught in the eye of Storm Eleanor and Gladio knew that he was one wrong move away from being thrown back into her howling gales and losing her for good.

“I… can’t. I can’t let you go. I’ve done it once, I’m not about to do it again.”

He felt some of the tension leave her as she softened under his touch, the fire in her eyes died down to nothing more than glowing embers and smoke as the wave of unchanneled emotions finally caught up with her.

“I just don’t understand what I did wrong?”

Gladio felt his stomach wrench at the smallness of her voice, his guilt only exacerbated by the water that pooled within her eyes. He had sworn that things were going to be different this time around, that he was done being that immature playboy everybody expected him to be. He promised himself all of this and still managed to hurt the one thing that meant the most to him.

“You did nothing wrong, baby.”

He wrapped his arms around Nell, encasing her safely within the inked wings on his skin and pulled her against his chest so that he could nuzzle his face into her hair. He breathed her in like he had done so many times before and kept her close to him as she cried softly into his tank top.

“I don’t really wanna go, Gladdy…” she mumbled between quiet sobs. “I don’t.”

“I don’t want you to. I never want you to. I handled everything so badly, Nellie. I hurt you, Gods, I hurt you and I’m so sorry.”

“I didn’t think you wanted me anymore.”

He pulled away from her to look her in the eyes and cupped her face, using the pads of his thumbs to wipe away the stray tears that clung to her petal soft cheeks. He placed a chaste kiss to her lips.

“I love you, Nell. I shoulda said it before, I shoulda told you after the night we… I want you in my life and I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am that I hurt you. I was stupid and immature and I didn’t know how to handle it. Those women at the Citadel were Crownsguard recruits, they cornered me and I couldn’t get away. I looked for you but you weren’t there and then I got pulled into a damn meeting-”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Because I was scared.” Gladio answered matter of factly. “I’ve never… I’ve never felt like this with anyone and I just didn’t know what to do. I know it’s no excuse but-”

“I love you too, Gladio.”

Nell took in Gladio’s expression of mild shock, it lingered briefly on his defined features before it softened into smile which he still wore as he kissed her deeply, his fingers wound their way into her hair as he pulled her closer to him with his free hand.

“I’m going to be better.” He murmured against her lips. “I promise you, Nell.”

“I don’t need you to be better. I just need you to be you.”

He pushed her gently towards her bed, never once breaking away from the haven of her lips and set her down gently on top of the duvet, his hands roamed across the plains of her body freely until she pulled away with a sharp exhale.

“Everything okay, babe?”

Nell blushed deeply and darted her eyes away from his searching gaze.

“I.. uh… I need some time, Gladio…”

“Okay.”

Gladio moved his hand away from her hip and back up to cradle her face. They laid facing each other in a symphony of steady breathing and tangled limbs, the feeling of Gladio’s strong beating heart against her hand enough to coax her towards slumber. Gladio’s gentle voice rumbled lightly in his chest, breaking the silence for the second time.

“How’re you doing? Y’know… after…”

Nell didn’t answer immediately out of fear that talking out loud about what had happened would make it all too real. The nightmares were frequent. Vivid. Opening up to Gladio would mean that it was all true. The fire. The destruction. The death.

All of it.

“You don’t have to talk about it now, but you need to get it out your system too, babe. Otherwise it’ll eat away at you.”

He soothed her with a gentle grazing touch on the exposed skin of her shoulder, wordlessly letting her know that he was there for her whenever she was ready to talk about it. His eyes trained on the healing wound streaking across her alabaster skin, brows furrowing slightly at the sight of it.

“It was… awful” she whispered. “All that noise. All the screaming… I hear it at night. It’s so loud.”

“What you went through,” Gladio soothed. “Nobody should have to go through that and it’s gonna take time to-”

“You weren’t there, Gladio! You didn’t see… There were bodies everywhere.”

He wrapped his arms around her instinctively, pulling her close to his chest as she quaked with each sob that was ripped from her throat, his own feelings of helplessness swirled in his chest with the knowledge that there was nothing he could do that would make this okay for her. Nothing that could change what had happened.

That could erase the things she’d seen.

She was never one to fall apart, Gladio knew that, but the cracks were laid bare to him. He had to fix her. He might not have been able to turn back the clock and stop Insomnia from burning, but he would hold her until her heart healed and the stars shone in her eyes again.


	14. 14

It was Gladio who stirred first. The first rays of sunlight streamed between the slim crack in the curtains and bathed the two of them in rich brandy light. His sleepy eyes moved to study Nell’s face who, for one of the few times since she’d fallen asleep in his arms, looked peaceful. His arm wedged underneath her no longer felt like his own but he hadn’t the heart to move and disturb her.

‘ _ Let her sleep’ _ he thought.

Her slumber had been plagued with night terrors, he had laid there holding her to his body as she trembled and whimpered with each nightmare, the tightening in his chest feeling more pronounced each time it happened. He knew that the only thing that could heal her was time, but he couldn’t help but admonish himself for not being able to take this away from her despite knowing that he could do no more than he was doing now. As he watched her sleep he wondered how many times she’d had to endure this alone, wondered how often she’d woken up with a scream ripped from her chest. 

His fingers began to card through her hair absentmindedly as his thoughts turned to what laid ahead for them, how this would all work. He knew he couldn’t stay in Lestallum with her, no matter how much he wanted to. He was already walking his path and there was to be no straying from it, not until the task was done. 

So where did that leave them?

The last thing Gladio wanted was for Nell to feel like he was abandoning her, like he was leaving her behind. Except that was  _ exactly _ what he was doing, he just hoped that she could understand his reasons. The safest place for her to be now was right here and if Gladio could leave town knowing that Nell and Iris were together and out of harm’s reach, then that would be enough for him.

His eyes shifted back to Nell’s face as she slipped out of sleep and into the waking world, settling amongst tired fog. To his surprise she offered him a tired smile and burrowed her face into the crook of his neck, her breath warm and steady against his skin and the only acceptable response was for him to tighten his arms around her, wrapping her up in the safety of inked wings. He knew they would have to have a serious discussion about them, their relationship and the fact that he would have to leave her again for a few days. But right now, she was back in his arms and in that brief moment in time, despite all of the uncertainty and horror in the world, everything was okay.

***

Nell shuffled around her kitchenette, adding chopped ingredients into the hot pan, and distributing them around the sizzling oil evenly with a spatula. Gladio watched her from his position on the bed, the only sounds in the room were the onions and peppers being fried over a high heat and quiet music coming from a speaker that had seen better days.

_ ‘Like all of us, I guess’ _

He had opened his mouth to speak a number of times now but for one reason or another thought better of it. Truthfully, he wasn’t quite sure what exactly he wanted to say to her, only that there was a lot, but the words and thoughts mirrored the world outside, chaotic and disorderly and so he settled on communicating with her the way he knew best.

He rose from the bed slowly and crossed the room without as much as a word, reaching out to lay a gentle palm across the small of her back, only to announce his close presence to her if nothing else. To his relief she didn’t flinch or pull away; in fact, he could have sworn that she leaned into his touch albeit only slightly. Taking that as permission, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. His voice was low and quiet as he spoke:

“Smells good, babe”

She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, unable to help the spark of a smile despite herself. She leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, the proverbial olive branch and a clear line being drawn underneath their earlier quarrel.

“It’s only vegetable stir fry, I’m afraid. I um.. Money is a little tight for meat right now”

She turned back to the pan quickly, afraid to look at the pained expression on Gladio’s face.

“Doll…”

She replied without looking up from the veggies she was moving around methodically:

“It’s fine, Gladio… I’m managing.”

He stepped to her side, reaching out and cupping her face to turn it to look at him. He ran his calloused palm lightly along her jaw before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Let me give you some money”

“No Gladio I could-”

“Yes you can” he cut her off. “I want you to. Please.”

She closed her eyes and willed herself not to cry. The idea of having to financially rely on someone else having prided herself on being so independent was borderline shameful for her, despite the fact that nothing was the same as it was only ten days ago. Her apartment, her very first home, was likely a pile of rubble. Everything she owned, destroyed. Her parents? Likely dead. She had not heard from them since it had happened and with her phone in an irreparable state, she had no means of contacting them either. The constant state of not knowing seemed worse than the notion that they had perished. At least then she’d have an element of certainty. Finality. 

“Nell…”

Gladio’s voice snapped her eyes back open to meet his, whiskey stare unmoving but soft.

“Listen, we both know that I can’t stick around… As much as I would like to”

To his relief her reply, while small and defeated, held no anger.

“I know, Gladio”

“And I want you to be comfortable, I wanna know that you’re okay and taken care of. It’s the least I can do…”

“You don’t owe me anythi-”

“I know I don’t. But dammit, Nell, I love you and I wanna take care of you, even if I can’t physically be here all the time”

She hesitated but eventually nodded, allowing herself to succumb to his warm embrace. Her voice was muffled against his chest as she asked the question she’d been dreading to hear the answer of.

“How long before you have to leave?”

He spoke into the crown of her head.

“A couple days..”

She sighed against the fabric of his shirt and nodded, fingers curling into the hem of it as he continued softly.

“I don’t know when I’ll be back after that…”

She raised her dove irises to study his features and Gladio swore that his heart ripped in two at the sadness she held within them.

“We’ll get you a new cell sorted, okay? Then you can keep in touch with me while I’m gone”

He thumbed her petal-soft cheeks, her arms tight around him like she was afraid that if she let him go, even for a second, he would disappear there and then.

“It’s gonna be okay, doll…”

Gladio knew that he shouldn’t make such a promise to her, not when there was so much uncertainty. But still, he said it with such finality and conviction that Nell couldn’t help despite herself but believe him.


	15. 15

Nell leaned into Gladio’s side as they walked slowly through the market together, his arm tight around her shoulders. They’d agreed that Nell would spend the day with Iris while Gladio and the others went and bought supplies for the next leg of their trip, partly because he was afraid she’d be bored but mostly because it served as a reminder that he’d be leaving the day after next; he’d have to leave her behind and that was just too painful. Gladio also needed to track down a new mobile phone for Nell so that they could better keep in touch until he was able to see her again and hoped that between them, they could find out what happened to her parents.

They walked in silence towards The Leville and he didn’t miss the tension creeping into her shoulders as they reached the edge of the square where the old building stood. He looked down at her to see her pulling her bottom lip between her teeth in thought.

“Hey, hey… what’s got you worked up, babe?” He stopped them both in the street, using his hands to gently manoeuvre her so that she was facing him; he studied her features for a moment, noting the slight crease in her brow and the way she chewed on the inside of her cheek. She brought her eyes up to meet his and took a deep breath before she spoke.

“It’s just… we never got round to introducing me to the guys, y’know, before…”

He nodded in acknowledgement and tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear before bringing his hands up to cup her face gently.

“They’re gonna love you…”

They exchanged soft smiles as Gladio brought his lips to her forehead, soothing the nerves that had started to settle in her stomach, and reached to retake her hand. They crossed the square and into the hotel where a waiting Iris was there to greet them both with open arms.

“Nellie!”

Iris wrapped Nell into a tight hug where the two of them swayed side to side for a good minute.

“I’m so glad you’re okay… I tried to reach you but-”

“It’s okay,” Nell replied softly. “My phone was out of action and I didn’t know anyone’s numbers. God, it’s so good to see you.” She tightened her grip around Iris, not quite ready to let her go, as Gladio spoke.

“Iris, I was hoping you and Nell could keep an eye on each other while I’m gone.”

“As if you thought for one second we wouldn’t,” Gladio caught the smile Iris threw at him over Nell’s shoulder while she directed her next question to Nell. “You’ve got somewhere to stay, yeah?”

“Mhm, I have a small studio apartment across town, we can walk over there later and I’ll show you if you’d like?”

“I’d love that so much,” Iris smiled full and bright. “The guys are upstairs if you’re ready to head on up?”

Gladio glanced at Nell to check that she was okay, who offered him a small nod in return, before leading the way up the stairs while the two women followed with their arms linked and chatted quietly.

“It should just be open,” Iris offered as Gladio approached their room.

He turned the knob and pushed the door open, nodding at first at Ignis before looking around the room to find Prompto sat cross legged on the bed using his phone.

“Where’s Charmless?” Gladio asked no one in particular.

“Shower,” Prompto replied without looking up.

Ignis glanced briefly at Nell before turning his attention to Gladio. “Is this?” He asked.

“The one and only,” smiled Gladio as he slung his arm over Nell’s shoulders. “This is Nellie.”

Prompto looked up then and grinned, getting up off the bed to cross the room to where the others had gathered. Ignis extended his hand towards Nell as he approached.

“Pleasure to meet you, Eleanor. The name’s Ignis Scientia, royal advisor to Prince Noctis.”

Nell shook his hand, albeit a little wide eyed and nodded. “It’s-it’s lovely to meet you Ignis.”

“God, so formal,” Prompto laughed as he immediately pulled her in for a hug. “I’m Prompto, Noct’s high school buddy. We’re so glad you’re safe, Gladio was worried sick about you. We were hopin’ that you’d made it out of the city and that we’d find you here.”

Nell smiled as she found herself hugging him back, feeling instantly at ease by his sunny demeanour and watched as Gladio crossed the room to the bathroom door which he gave three loud knocks.

“You gonna be much longer, Noct? We got shit to do today.”

Noctis’ muffled voice could just be distinguished over the sound of running water, “Can’t a guy take a shower in peace?”

“C’mon, you can preen to your heart’s content before we leave for Altissia”

Noctis could be heard grumbling after he’d shut the water off alongside the soft thud of feet on the floor as he stepped out of the tub.

“Make sure you’re decent before you come out,” Gladio called through the wood. “We’ve got company.”

“Can you toss my clothes in here, then? They’re on the bed.”

Ignis rolled his eyes at that and sighed, moving to get the clothes from the bed to hand them off to Gladio. The door opened fractionally and an arm snaked out of the gap, hand grasping the bundle of fabric Gladio was offering before the door clicked shut again.

“Yeah,” Gladio turned to Nell. “So that’s Noct.”

The group exchanged chuckles at that while Gladio sat himself down on the weatherbeaten couch, his arms opening to Nell in a silent invitation for her to sit in his lap which she was only too happy to oblige. He wrapped his arms around her and soothed tiny circles into her arms with his thumbs while Ignis bustled about the room readying the various bags they’d need for their supplies.

“So, Nell,” Iris started. “What d’ya wanna do today?”

“Not sure, really. I could do with getting some fresh fruit and vegetables in, which I know isn’t exactly exciting but-” she finished speaking with a shrug and an apologetic look.

“Oh, that sounds great! I  _ love _ going to the market.”

“Really? You don’t mind running errands with me?” Nell looked at Iris with a confused look. “I mean, I could really do with cleaning my apartment too.”

“Then let’s do it together!”

Gladio smiled warmly at the two women he was grateful to have in his life and patted the spot next to him for Iris to sit, draping his arm over her shoulders as she sank into the cushions and pulling her into his side before he placed a kiss to the crown of dark hair and turned to press his lips to Nell’s temple.

“Sounds like you girls are gonna have fun,” he said softly.

“You guys should come to my place when you’re done, Iris and I will cook dinner. It’ll be a bit of a squeeze but I think we could get everyone in, if people don’t mind?” Nell looked around the room to gauge a response.

“I think that sounds awesome, babe,” Gladio spoke as he pressed gentle kisses against her shoulder.

Within the hour the group had gone their separate ways, the girls opting to walk the Prince and his retainers to the regalia to wave them off. They made their way slowly back through town, arms linked together as they broached the subject neither of them really wanted to talk about at great length, but both felt needed to be discussed almost as a formality.

“So,” Iris began tentatively. “How are you,  _ really _ ?”

Nell exhaled slowly as she gathered her thoughts and assessed how best to answer the girl’s question. She was perceptive for her age and Nell knew that Iris could tell the answer without her even needing to open her mouth. Still, Nell respected Iris enough to not attempt to coddle her or sugar-coat the situation and decided that honesty really was the best policy in this instance.

“I won’t lie to you, Iris, it’s been…” Nell glanced across to meet a familiar honeyed stare; Iris’ eyes were somewhat softer than Gladio’s but no less keen. “I still hear it, the screaming, the gunfire.” Nell swallowed thickly. “I watched my friend die… He-he died saving my life, if it wasn’t for him I’d…” She shook her head, unable to finish her train of thought, while Iris squeezed her arm reassuringly.

“I can’t even imagine what that was like,” Iris whispered, her voice small and solemn. “Seeing all those people… We, um, we got out straight away. We knew it was bad but it didn’t really hit home until we saw the news reports on TV. As soon as I saw the citadel…”

It was Iris’ turn to trail off as she stifled a small sniffle. Nell stopped them both and wrapped Iris into her arms, whispering into her hair as she spoke.

“I’m so, so sorry about your dad, honey…”

Iris sniffed and wiped her face, a small act of bravery that spoke a thousand words.

“It… It is what it is, I guess. Dad died defending the King, that’s what a king’s shield is supposed to do.”

“Doesn’t mean that it’s not terribly sad or that you can’t grieve for him, sweetie”

Iris looked up at Nell then, whiskey eyes brimming, and that’s when Nell understood the weight of the burden that girl had been carrying. The pressure she’d been putting on herself to keep a brave face, the way of the Amicitia, and all Nell could do in that moment was hold Iris in the middle of the street as she cried. She spoke no words other than to reassure the girl that it was okay to cry, that it was okay to let it all out, rubbing soothing circles on her back and kissing the top of her head until her cries quietened.

“I was trying to be b-brave, for Gladdy,” Iris hiccuped as Nell wiped her tears away with her thumbs. “I knew he’d n-need me to be s-strong.”

“To cry isn’t to show weakness, Iris,” Nell hushed. “It’s okay to be sad about your dad and crying is a healthy way of expressing that sadness. Gladio wouldn’t want you to bottle everything up and suffer. I know it’s hard right now, because he can’t be here with you and I know he’s going to be gone again after tomorrow, but I’m here… I’m here and I’m gonna make sure you’re okay.”

Iris held onto tightly and nodded as she murmured into Nell’s shoulder, “thank you.”

“Why don’t we go and get some nice iced lemonade and an ice cream before we go to the market, hmm?”

“I’d like that a lot, Nellie.”


End file.
